Ray Kroc acquired McDonald’s Corporation in 1961, bringing the restaurant brand under his full control.
Kroc was a milkshake-machine salesman who began working with the McDonald brothers after seeing how efficiently their San Bernardino restaurant served a limited menu. He became the principal franchise agent and opened a highly influential McDonald’s restaurant in Des Plaines, Illinois, in 1955.
The 1961 purchase ended the brothers’ direct ownership of the company and allowed Kroc to develop McDonald’s into a nationwide and eventually international chain. His strategy emphasized consistent menus, restaurant design, operating procedures, and visual presentation across locations.
The brothers, Richard and Maurice McDonald, remained central to the origin story because they created the fast-service system and the original restaurant concept. However, they did not retain corporate control after the sale. Another frequent mix-up is with Fred Turner, who became an important McDonald’s executive but was not the person who bought the company.