Where did Ray Kroc open the first McDonald’s restaurant he franchised in 1955?

Ray Kroc opened the first McDonald’s restaurant he franchised in Des Plaines, Illinois, in 1955.

The restaurant was the ninth McDonald’s location overall and was operated by Kroc after he obtained franchise rights from Richard and Maurice McDonald. Its opening marked the beginning of the large-scale expansion that made the McDonald’s name nationally recognizable.

The Des Plaines site was not the original McDonald brothers’ restaurant. Their pioneering drive-in stood in San Bernardino, California, where they developed the Speedee Service System. Kroc’s Illinois restaurant adapted that system for a rapidly expanding franchise network.

The Des Plaines building later became a museum and historical exhibit. It is also often confused with McDonald’s corporate headquarters, which was located in Oak Brook, Illinois, for many years.