McDonald’s Corporation first sold shares to the public in 1965.
The public offering came during a period of rapid expansion for McDonald’s. By then, the company had moved beyond its early regional roots, using franchising, standardized operations, and recognizable branding to build a growing restaurant network.
Going public gave McDonald’s access to capital that could support additional growth and helped establish the company as a major publicly traded consumer brand. The timing also placed the stock-market milestone near other important developments, including the spread of standardized restaurants and the increasing visibility of the Golden Arches.
The year is sometimes confused with 1955, when Ray Kroc opened the McDonald’s restaurant in Des Plaines, Illinois, or with 1961, when McDonald’s purchased the rights to the business from the McDonald brothers. Those are different corporate milestones.