McDonald's No. 1 Store Museum facts for kids
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| Established | April 15, 1955 |
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| Dissolved | 2018 |
| Location | 400 N. Lee Street, Des Plaines, Illinois |
The McDonald's #1 Store Museum was a special place in Des Plaines, Illinois, USA. It was a copy of the very first McDonald's restaurant opened by Ray Kroc in April 1955. Even though McDonald's often called it "The Original McDonald's," it was actually the ninth McDonald's restaurant ever built. This museum showed visitors what the early days of McDonald's were like.
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The First McDonald's Restaurants
The very first McDonald's restaurant was opened by brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald in San Bernardino, California. That happened way back in 1940. That original building was taken down in 1972, but part of its sign is still there.
The oldest McDonald's restaurant that is still open today is in Downey, California. It was the third McDonald's ever built and opened in 1953.
Ray Kroc's First McDonald's
The restaurant in Des Plaines was important because it was where Ray Kroc first became involved with the company. He started his own company, McDonald's Systems, Inc., to help open more restaurants. Later, he bought out the McDonald brothers and his company became McDonald's Corporation.
Ray Kroc's restaurant in Des Plaines was the first McDonald's built in a colder area. Because of this, some changes were made to the building's design. For example, it had a basement with a furnace to keep it warm. The original Des Plaines restaurant was built in 1955 and was taken down in 1984.
The Museum: A Replica of History
McDonald's realized that the Des Plaines restaurant was very important to its history. So, in 1985, they built a new building that looked exactly like the old one. This new building became the McDonald's #1 Store Museum.
The museum building had shiny gold arches and a red-and-white tiled outside. It looked just like the original plans the McDonald brothers used when they started letting others open McDonald's restaurants in 1953.
Why the Museum Closed
In 2017, McDonald's announced that the museum building would be torn down. This was because the area often flooded, causing problems for the building. Even though people tried to save it, the museum was taken down in 2018. After that, McDonald's gave the land to the city. Now, it is a grassy park area for everyone to enjoy.
Inside the Museum: A Trip Back in Time
The sign outside the museum was the original one from 1955. It featured an early cartoon character named "Speedee". Speedee represented the "Speedee Service System," which was a fast way to make food. This system was inspired by how factories used assembly lines. The sign proudly said, "We have sold over 1 million."
Inside the museum, you could see old kitchen equipment. There were original fry vats, machines called Multimixers for making milkshakes, soda barrels, and grills. Mannequins dressed in 1950s uniforms showed what the workers looked like. Visitors could walk through the kitchen or look through the order windows. The 1955 design did not have a place for customers to sit down and eat.
In the basement, there was a collection of old advertisements, photos, and a video about McDonald's history. When the museum was taken down, some of the old equipment was moved to McDonald's main offices in Chicago.
McDonald's History Nearby
In the 1980s, a new McDonald's restaurant was built across the street from where the museum was. This new restaurant has special glass displays. These displays show historical items from McDonald's. You can see red and white tiles from the original restaurant. There are also string ties that employees wore in the 1950s and early 1970s. A drawing of the original "Speedee" sign is also on one wall.
Other McDonald's Museums
There are other places where you can learn about McDonald's history:
- The Big Mac Museum Restaurant opened in 2007 in Irwin, Pennsylvania. It celebrates the famous Big Mac burger.
- There is also a museum at the very first McDonald's site in San Bernardino, California. This museum is run by the owner of the Juan Pollo restaurant chain and is not officially connected to McDonald's Corporation.
See also
In Spanish: Museo McDonald's para niños
- List of food and beverage museums
- Oldest McDonald's restaurant
