What was the name of McDonald's first restaurant opened by Ray Kroc?

Ray Kroc's first McDonald's restaurant was called McDonald's Store No. 1.

Kroc opened the restaurant in Des Plaines, Illinois, on April 15, 1955. It was the first McDonald's location operated under Kroc's franchise agreement with Richard and Maurice McDonald, whose San Bernardino restaurant had already developed the fast-service model.

The Des Plaines building used the chain's increasingly recognizable red-and-white visual style and Golden Arches imagery. It became an important landmark in the company's branding story because Kroc used the site to demonstrate the restaurant format to customers and potential franchisees.

The original building was demolished in 1984, but a replica museum was later created nearby. It is often called the first McDonald's restaurant, although the McDonald brothers' San Bernardino location predates it. That distinction matters: Des Plaines was Kroc's first location, not the brothers' first restaurant.