McDonald’s

Richard and Maurice McDonald opened a restaurant in San Bernardino, California, establishing the origins of the McDonald’s business.⁠[1]

The brothers simplified the menu and reorganized food preparation around an assembly-line process with customer self-service, creating the model for subsequent expansion.⁠[1]

Ray Kroc opened his first McDonald’s restaurant in Des Plaines, Illinois, developing a franchise network through McDonald’s System, Inc. The 1955 date marks Kroc’s operation, following the brothers’ earlier restaurant.⁠[2]

Kroc purchased the rights to the name and business concept from the McDonald brothers for $2.7 million.⁠[1]

The company’s shares began trading over the counter in 1965 and moved to the New York Stock Exchange in 1966.⁠[1]

McDonald’s expanded into Canada and Puerto Rico in 1967 and introduced the Big Mac nationally in the United States in 1968.⁠[2]

Operator David Rich opened a drive-thru window in Sierra Vista, Arizona, serving nearby Fort Huachuca soldiers who could not leave their vehicles in uniform. It was McDonald’s first drive-thru, rather than the industry’s first.⁠[3]

Chicken McNuggets launched nationwide in the United States, extending the menu beyond hamburgers.⁠[2]

The first McDonald’s restaurant in mainland China opened on Dongmen commercial pedestrian street in Shenzhen’s Luohu district, subsequently known as the Shenzhen Guanghua restaurant.⁠[4]

The first McCafé opened in Melbourne in 1993; the company launched its global “i’m lovin’ it” advertising campaign in 2003.⁠[2]

McDonald’s, CITIC and Carlyle completed a partnership transaction covering mainland China and Hong Kong, using a franchise structure involving local partners. The company announced completion on August 8.⁠[5]

Chris Kempczinski became CEO and added the chairman’s role in 2024.⁠[6]

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the company announced a process to sell its Russian restaurant business and remove McDonald’s branding, menus and signs. May 16 was the announcement date.⁠[7]

The company announced a multiyear partnership using Google Cloud’s cloud and edge computing for restaurant systems, apps, kiosks and operational improvements, with testing through Speedee Labs. The announcement described a phased program.⁠[8]

The company paid $1.8 billion for Carlyle’s 28% interest in Grand Foods Holding, increasing its ownership from 20% to 48%. The platform operates in mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau; McDonald’s continued to account for it as a noncontrolling minority investment.⁠[9]

The company confirmed the end of its drive-thru voice-ordering test with IBM, begun in 2021, while continuing to explore other voice-AI options.⁠[10]

The FDA investigation identified slivered onions used in some Quarter Pounder burgers as the most likely source based on epidemiological and traceback evidence. The outbreak involved 104 illnesses across 14 states, 34 hospitalizations and one death; authorities declared it over on December 3.⁠[11]

For 2025, the company reported revenue of $26.885 billion, net income of $8.563 billion, systemwide sales above $139 billion and comparable-sales growth of 3.1%. Systemwide sales include franchise restaurants’ sales and are distinct from consolidated company revenue.⁠[12]

For the quarter ended June 30, revenue was $7.099 billion and net income $2.362 billion. Comparable sales increased 1.3% globally and 0.8% in the United States, where higher average checks accompanied declining guest counts.⁠[13]

The NEXT strategy organized initiatives around menu, consumer, restaurant and people priorities. The company outlined about $8.5 billion in rent relief and capital support through 2036, including about $5 billion through 2030, supporting the restaurant system rather than constituting a standalone AI budget.⁠[14]

McDonald’s described Archy as a drive-thru voice system handling English and Spanish orders with accuracy above 90%. This was company-reported performance, not evidence of universal deployment. Its broader ArchIQ platform targets inventory, maintenance and order accuracy, with technology introduced in phases according to restaurant readiness.⁠[15]

McDonald’s is a publicly traded restaurant company headquartered in Chicago, listed on the New York Stock Exchange as MCD. In September 2026 it reported more than 46,000 restaurants in over 100 countries, approximately 95% operated independently. Reporting segments include the United States, International Operated Markets and International Developmental Licensed Markets; menus and operating arrangements vary by market.⁠[16][14][17]

Corporate website: https://corporate.mcdonalds.com/ (opens in a new window); corporate X: https://x.com/McDonaldsCorp (opens in a new window); brand YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is Google’s video-sharing and creator platform, founded in 2005 by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim and acquired by Google in 2006. Built around video uploading, viewing, and creator earnings, the platform has developed Shorts, YouTube Music, Premium, YouTube TV, and products for children, and is headquartered in San Bruno, California, United States.Open the full entry: https://www.youtube.com/@McDonalds (opens in a new window); corporate LinkedInLinkedInLinkedIn is a social networking platform for professionals. It was founded in 2002 by Reid Hoffman and others, launched in 2003, and listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2011; after Microsoft acquired it for approximately $26.2 billion in 2016, it became a wholly owned Microsoft subsidiary. Its revenue comes from membership subscriptions, advertising, and recruitment solutions.Open the full entry: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mcdonald%27s-corporation/ (opens in a new window).⁠[14][18][19][20]