The Des Plaines restaurant became Ray Kroc’s first company-operated showcase location in 1955.
Kroc opened the restaurant in Des Plaines, Illinois, after becoming involved with the McDonald brothers’ efficient restaurant system. The location helped demonstrate the standardized building, equipment, menu, and service practices that Kroc wanted to reproduce through franchising.
The Des Plaines site was especially important to McDonald’s branding because it presented a consistent restaurant format to franchisees and customers. It was not simply another hamburger stand; it functioned as a practical model for the chain’s expanding identity.
San Bernardino is often named in connection with McDonald’s because it was the location of the brothers’ original restaurant and their Speedee Service System. Des Plaines, however, is the Illinois location associated with Kroc’s first McDonald’s operation in 1955.