• The first McDonald's franchise opened in Des Plaines, Illinois, on April 15, 1955. • By the 1970s, McDonald's had grown into a popular fast-food establishment. • The Quarter Pounder, Quarter Pounder with cheese, and Egg McMuffin were also added to the menu.

By the 1970s, just a decade into its operation under businessman Ray Kroc, McDonald's was already a thriving company that had served millions of customers.

The McDonald brothers had opened their small burger and barbecue joint in 1940, and when Kroc visited them in 1954, he saw promise in their ability to serve customers quickly by keeping burgers warm under a heat lamp.

Kroc opened the first McDonald's franchise location in Des Plaines, Illinois, on April 15, 1955. That year, he also founded McDonald's System, Inc., which woul

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