The businessman who bought McDonald’s from the McDonald brothers in 1961 was Ray Kroc.
Kroc was a milkshake-mixer salesman when he visited Richard and Maurice McDonald’s busy San Bernardino restaurant in 1954. He was impressed by the brothers’ efficient kitchen system and persuaded them to let him act as their franchise agent.
Kroc wanted to expand the business far more aggressively than the brothers did. Their disagreements grew as Kroc pursued more restaurants and greater control. In 1961, he purchased the McDonald brothers’ interests in the company for $2.7 million, becoming the owner of McDonald’s Corporation.
Kroc is often described as McDonald’s founder because he built the company into a huge national and international chain. Historically, however, Richard and Maurice founded the original restaurant and created its operating system. Kroc’s role was expansion, franchising, and corporate development rather than the invention of the original McDonald’s concept.