30 Lesser Known Facts Everybody Should Know About McDonald

McDonald's, one of the world's largest restaurant chains, founded in 1940, is world renowned for its hamburgers, cheeseburgers, chicken products, french fries, breakfast items, soft drinks, milkshakes, wraps, and desserts. Here are some facts about the American fast food restaurant:

1. The McDonald’s, the world’s second largest private employer opened its first store in Phoenix, Arizona in March 1953. The brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald, initially started with a barbecue restaurant, in 1940 at San Bernardino, California.
2. They introduced the ‘Speedee Service System’ in 1948, following the fast food concept of ‘White Castle.’
3. The McDonald’s restaurant is operated either by a franchisee, an affiliate, or the corporation itself. The corporation revenue is generated from rent, royalties, and franchisee fees as well as sales from the company outlets.
4. The present corporation dates its founding to the opening of a franchised restaurant by businessman Ray Kroc in Des Plaines, Illinois on April 15, 1955.
5. In 1961, Ray Kroc, bought the company for $2.7 million, enough to pay each brothers $1 million after taxes. It is alleged that as part of the buyout, Kroc promised on handshake agreement to continue the annual 0.5% royalty.
6. The franchise model is based on single store franchises, established only in suburban area with standardized content and sanitized at all time. The women were not preferred for they were liable to flirt and males had to follow dress code that includes no beard.
7. On May 04, 1961, for the first time McDonald filed for a U.S trademark on the name ‘McDonald’ with a description ‘Drive-In-Restaurant Services.’
8. The mascot has seen changes over the years. Starting with a man in chef’s hat on top of a hamburger-shaped head, named ‘Speedee.’ The Golden Arches replaced it in 1962, before a new mascot of clown man with puffed out costume named Ronald McDonald was introduced in 1965. The present version as a letter ‘M’ appeared on November 18, 1968.
9. The McDonald’s are presently available in 120 countries serving 68 million customers each day through its 36,899 restaurants. There are a total of 5,699 company owned outlets in addition to 31,230 franchised locations employing around 375,000 peoples.
10. McDonald’s trains its franchisees and management at Hamburger University in Oak Brook, Illinois. The employees are encouraged to maintain their health by singing along to their favorite song, attend church and take two vacations a year.
11. According to ‘Fast Food Nation’ McDonald’s is the largest private operator of playgrounds in the US, and single largest procurer of beef, pork, potatoes and apples. The selection of meats is according to the culture of the host countries.
12. The restaurant is famous for its hamburgers and varies type of chicken, chicken sandwiches, French fries and soft drinks. They have recently added vegetarian items with local deviation from standard menu to abide by regional food taboos.
13. The concept ‘Create Your Taste ‘restaurantswhich started in 2015, offering customer of choosing all ingredients, was replaced by a ‘Signature Crafted Recipe’ program for its efficiency and for cost effectives in November 2016.
14. McDonald’s attempt for automation to replace employee with electronic kiosks took off with its ‘E-Clercks’ in suburban Chicago and Wyoming in 1999, to save money on live staffers and attracting larger purchase amounts than average employees.
15. The company had become symbolic of globalization which is referred to as ‘McDonaldization’ of society. The Economist newspaper uses comparison of ‘Big Mac’s’ cost in various countries in various currencies is the yardstick for purchasing power parity. Switzerland is most expensive and India least expensive.
16. In 2012 McDonald’s have pledged to phase out sourcing pork from facilities that use gestation crates and in 2015, they pledged to stop using eggs from battery cage facilities by 2025, in accordance with animal welfare standard.
17. McDonald’s is the title sponsor of the ‘McDonald’s All-American Game’ a all-star basketball game played each year for American and Canadian boys’ and girls’ high school graduates.
18. McHappy Day is an event at McDonald’s, where a percentage of the day’s sales go to charity. It is the signature fundraising events for ‘Ronald McDonald House Charities.
19. In 2003, the eleventh edition of Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary added a word ‘McJob’ as a low paying job with little skill and provides for little advancements. This was objected by McDonald’s.
20. McDonald’s is accused by Fast Food Nation book, of using political clout for increasing its profit at the cost of people’s health. In 2004, following a claim by documentary film ‘Super-Size Me’ that McDonal’s food contribute to obesity, the super-size option was replaced with Happy Meal.
21. In April 2008, McDonald’s 11 of its Sheffield, England restaurants have been engaged in a biomass trial with its waste from restaurant had cut waste and carbon footprint by half.
22. McDonald’s were involved in several legal cases around the world. The famous case of 1994 involving Stella Liebeck, who suffered third-degree burn after spilling a scalding cup of McDonald’s coffee, was awarded several million as compensation.
23. The U.S Environmental Protection Agency has recognized McDonald’s continuous effort in use of recycled-content materials and managing water and electricity within the restaurant.
24. In 2006, a video game ‘McDonald’s Videogame’ was released online, that batters the burger chain by allowing gamers to raze villages, manipulate public opinion and bribe health official and politicians. The McDonald's issued a statement distancing itself from the game.
25. Poor people in Hong Kong, China and Japan use McDonald’s 24 hours restaurant as a temporary hostel often referred as McRefugees.
26. The corporate started divesting itself from of other chain’s it had acquired in 1990s. McDonald’s divested from Chipotle Mexican Grill, Donatos Pizza, Aroma Café and Boston Market and started focusing on its core brand.
27. In August 2013, The Guardian revealed that 90 percent of McDonald’s UK workforce is on zero hour contracts, making it possibly the largest such private sector employers in the country.
28. On February 23, 1994, the McDonald’s Corporation began banning smoking in all its 1,400 wholly owned restaurants and backed a bill to end smoking in all restaurants and other buildings of public use.
29. In 2006, McDonald’s introduced its ‘Forever Young’ brand by redesigning all of its restaurants, since 1970s. It introduced wooden table, faux-leather chairs and muted colors. The restaurant used less plastic and more brick and wood.
30. It was confirmed on June 13, 2016, that McDonald’s headquarters will move into 608,000 square foot structure which will be built on the former site of Harpo Production, Chicago, Illinois, by early 2018.