Canada became the first country outside the United States to open a McDonald's restaurant.
The first Canadian McDonald's opened in Richmond, British Columbia, in 1967. This expansion marked an important step in turning a U.S. restaurant chain into an international brand, with the Golden Arches beginning to appear beyond American roads and suburbs.
Canada was a natural early market because of its geographic proximity to the United States and strong commercial links between the two countries. McDonald's later expanded into many other regions, adapting menus and operations to local markets while maintaining core visual branding.
The Canadian opening is sometimes confused with the first McDonald's in other major international markets. Australia opened its first restaurant in 1971, Japan in 1971, and the United Kingdom in 1974, all after the Canadian launch.