Which city hosted the first McDonald’s restaurant opened by Ray Kroc in 1955?

Ray Kroc opened his first McDonald’s restaurant in Des Plaines, Illinois, in 1955.

The restaurant opened on April 15, 1955, at 400 North Lee Street. It was the first McDonald’s location operated by Kroc’s new franchise organization and became an important landmark in the company’s transition from a California restaurant concept to a national chain.

The Des Plaines site used the McDonald brothers’ service principles and restaurant identity, including a version of the distinctive arches. Kroc’s contribution was not inventing the original system but organizing its large-scale franchising and establishing a corporate expansion model.

Chicago is sometimes substituted because Des Plaines is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. San Bernardino is also a common mix-up because it was the location of the brothers’ original restaurant. The specific city associated with Kroc’s first restaurant is Des Plaines.