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. This restaurant is often called "The Original McDonald's" by the company. However, it was actually the ninth McDonald's restaurant ever built.
Contents
The First McDonald's Restaurants
The very first McDonald's restaurant was started by brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald. They opened it in San Bernardino, California in 1940. That original building was torn down in 1972. But part of its old sign still remains today.
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.
The Des Plaines restaurant was important because it was where Ray Kroc first got involved with McDonald's. He started his own company, McDonald's Systems, Inc., to help franchise (or spread) the restaurants. Later, Kroc bought the McDonald brothers' share of the company. This is how McDonald's Corporation began.
The Museum Building
Why a Replica Was Built
The actual McDonald's restaurant in Des Plaines was taken down in 1984. But McDonald's realized that this place had a lot of history. So, they decided to build an exact copy of the restaurant. This new building looked just like the original. It had the famous golden arches and a red-and-white tiled outside.
The design of the building followed the McDonald brothers' original plans from 1953. Ray Kroc's restaurant was the first McDonald's built in a colder area. So, they added a basement with a furnace to keep it warm.
The Museum's End
In 2017, McDonald's announced that the replica building would be torn down. This was because the area often flooded. Even though people tried to save it, the building was demolished in 2018. McDonald's then gave the land to the city. It is now a grassy park area.
What the Museum Looked Like
The sign outside the museum was the original one from 1955. It featured an early cartoon mascot named "Speedee." Speedee represented the fast "Speedee Service System" that the McDonald brothers created. This system was inspired by how factories used assembly lines to make things quickly. The sign proudly said, "We have sold over 1 million."
The museum was not always open. It had irregular summer hours, and tours were usually by appointment. Inside, on the ground floor, you could see original fry vats and milkshake machines. Ray Kroc used to sell these milkshake machines before he met the McDonald brothers. There were also soda barrels and grills. Mannequins dressed in 1950s uniforms showed what the crew looked like. Visitors could walk through the kitchen or look through the order windows. The 1955 design did not have a place for people to sit and eat.
In the basement, there was a collection of old advertisements, photos, and a video about McDonald's history. When the museum was torn down, many of these items were moved. Some went to McDonald's main office in Chicago. Others went to their research and development center.
Other McDonald's Museums
There are other places where you can learn about McDonald's history.
A modern McDonald's restaurant was built across the street from the museum site. Inside this restaurant, there are glass cases with historical items. You can see red and white tiles from the original restaurant. There are also string ties that employees wore in the 1950s and 1960s. A blueprint for the original "Speedee" sign is on one wall.
Another McDonald's museum is the Big Mac Museum Restaurant. It opened in Irwin, Pennsylvania, in 2007.
There is also a museum at the very first McDonald's site in San Bernardino, California. This museum is a reconstruction. It is run by the owner of the Juan Pollo restaurant chain and is not connected to McDonald's Corporation.
See also
In Spanish: Museo McDonald's para niños
- List of food and beverage museums
