Ray Kroc bought the McDonald’s company from Richard and Maurice McDonald in 1961.
Kroc had worked with the brothers as their franchising agent since 1954. He believed the restaurant’s standardized menu, service system, and visual presentation could support a much larger national chain. In 1961, he purchased the business rights from the brothers for about $2.7 million before taxes.
The deal is sometimes described too simply as Kroc buying the original restaurant. The brothers retained ownership of their San Bernardino location for a time, while Kroc controlled the broader McDonald’s business and its franchise system. Their original restaurant later closed, and a nearby competing restaurant operated under the Big M name.
Kroc’s ownership accelerated the brand’s expansion and helped make the Golden Arches, standardized restaurant layouts, and consistent packaging familiar across the United States. The McDonald brothers created the operating concept, while Kroc built the large-scale franchise organization associated with modern McDonald’s.