Canada became McDonald’s first location outside the United States.
McDonald’s opened its first Canadian restaurant in Richmond, British Columbia, in 1967. The opening marked the beginning of the company’s international expansion and came shortly after McDonald’s had established a substantial presence across the United States.
Canada was a natural first step for the chain because of its geographic proximity and close commercial ties with the United States. The Canadian restaurants used the familiar McDonald’s name and visual identity while adapting operations to the local market.
The Canadian opening is sometimes confused with McDonald’s first European or Asian locations. The company later entered many other markets, including Japan in 1971 and the United Kingdom in 1974. Canada, however, holds the distinction of being the first country outside the United States to host a McDonald’s restaurant.