Ray Kroc opened the McDonald’s restaurant in Des Plaines, Illinois, in 1955. The site is associated with the start of Kroc’s McDonald’s franchise operation and is now represented by a museum and reconstructed historic restaurant site.
Kroc became involved with McDonald’s after learning about the efficient restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald in San Bernardino, California. He secured franchising rights and opened the Des Plaines location as a model for expansion. Its branding, service methods, and menu helped demonstrate how the system could be reproduced in other communities.
The Des Plaines opening is not the same event as the McDonald brothers’ original restaurant history. Their first restaurant opened in San Bernardino, and their Speedee Service System had already been introduced by 1948. The 1955 date specifically identifies Kroc’s first McDonald’s restaurant in Illinois and the beginning of the company’s major franchise era.