The brothers open a drive-in
Richard and Maurice McDonald open a barbecue drive-in restaurant in San Bernardino, California, with carhops and a long menu.
An independent archive
Everything the menu board leaves out.
A reference archive of McDonald's menu items, their origins and the decisions behind them — assembled by readers, not by the company.
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All menu items01 · Burgers
Big Mac
Two all-beef patties and a sauce that became a slogan.
Since 1967550 kcal02 · ChickenChicken McNuggets
Four shapes, and none of them are an accident.
Since 1983250 kcal03 · BreakfastEgg McMuffin
The sandwich that invented fast-food breakfast.
Since 1971310 kcal04 · DessertsMcFlurry
A dessert defined by its spoon.
Since 1995510 kcal05 · BurgersQuarter Pounder
Sold by its raw weight, which is the whole marketing idea.
Since 1971520 kcalHow it got here
Full timelineThe Speedee Service System
The brothers close the restaurant and reopen it with a nine-item menu, no carhops, no plates and a kitchen laid out as an assembly line. This is the actual invention.
Ray Kroc arrives
Milkshake-mixer salesman Ray Kroc visits San Bernardino to find out why one stand needs eight mixers, and leaves as the brothers' national franchising agent.
Recent writing
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The Speedee Service System, not the hamburger, was the invention
In 1948 two brothers threw out most of their menu and rebuilt the kitchen as a production line. Everything else followed from that.
The company that sells hamburgers makes its money on land
Harry Sonneborn's insight turned a struggling franchise operation into one of the largest property holders in the world.
What 'limited time only' is actually doing
Scarcity on a fast-food menu is rarely about scarcity. It is a scheduling tool, a supply hedge and a way to test products without committing a kitchen.