Ray Kroc's first McDonald's franchise opened in which Illinois city?

Ray Kroc’s first McDonald’s franchise opened in Des Plaines, Illinois.

Kroc opened the restaurant on April 15, 1955, after becoming the McDonald brothers’ franchise agent. The location stood northwest of Chicago and was built around the brothers’ fast, highly standardized production system. Its red-and-white design and prominent Golden Arches helped make the new restaurant highly visible.

The Des Plaines restaurant is often called McDonald’s No. 1, but that label can cause confusion. It was not the first McDonald’s restaurant overall: Richard and Maurice McDonald had opened their original restaurant in San Bernardino, California, in 1940. Nor was it the first restaurant ever franchised by the brothers. It was Kroc’s first location and the foundation of the corporate expansion that followed.

McDonald’s acquired the brothers’ business rights in 1961 for $2.7 million. The original Des Plaines building was later replaced by a replica museum, preserving the site’s connection to Kroc’s first outlet.