There are a total of 2,770 company-owned locations and 35,085 franchised locations, which includes 21,685 locations franchised to conventional franchisees, 7,225 locations licensed to developmental licensees, and 6,175 locations licensed to foreign affiliates. McDonald's operates 37,855 restaurants worldwide, employing more than 210,000 people as of the end of 2018. McDonald's restaurants are in 120 countries and territories and serve 68 million customers each day. The McDonald's in Northport, Alabama commemorates U.S. Its prominence has made it a frequent topic of public debates about obesity, corporate ethics, and consumer responsibility.
With the expansion of McDonald's into many international markets, the company has become a symbol of globalization and the spread of the American way of life. This area serves as headquarters for the Juan Pollo chain, and a McDonald's and Route 66 museum. The San Bernardino restaurant was eventually torn down in 1971, and the site was sold to the Juan Pollo chain in 1998. Kroc and the McDonald brothers fought for control of the business, as documented in Kroc's autobiography. Kroc was recorded as being an aggressive business partner, driving the McDonald brothers out of the industry. In 1961, Kroc purchased the McDonald brothers' equity in the company and began the company's worldwide reach. This was in fact the ninth opened McDonald's restaurant overall, although this location was destroyed and rebuilt in 1984. The present corporation credits its founding to franchised businessman Ray Kroc on April 15, 1955. Although the " Golden Arches" logo appeared in various forms, the present version was not used until November 18, 1968, when the company was favored a U.S. But before the double arches, McDonald's used a single arch for the architecture of their buildings. By September 13, McDonald's, under the guidance of Ray Kroc, filed for a trademark on a new logo-an overlapping, double-arched "M" symbol. trademark on the name "McDonald's" with the description "Drive-In Restaurant Services", which continues to be renewed. On May 4, 1961, McDonald's first filed for a U.S. He appeared in advertising to target their audience of children. The mascot, clown Ronald McDonald, was introduced in 1965. In 1962, the Golden Arches replaced Speedee as the universal mascot. The original mascot of McDonald's was a chef hat on top of a hamburger who was referred to as "Speedee". The brothers introduced the "Speedee Service System" in 1948, putting into expanded use the principles of the modern fast-food restaurant that their predecessor White Castle had put into practice more than two decades earlier.
The oldest operating McDonald's restaurant is the third one built, opened in 1953. As of 2020, McDonald's has the ninth-highest global brand valuation. According to two reports published in 2018, McDonald's is the world's second-largest private employer with 1.7 million employees (behind Walmart with 2.3 million employees). The McDonald's Corporation revenues come from the rent, royalties, and fees paid by the franchisees, as well as sales in company-operated restaurants. In response to changing consumer tastes and a negative backlash because of the unhealthiness of their food, the company has added to its menu salads, fish, smoothies, and fruit. Although McDonald's is best known for its hamburgers, cheeseburgers and french fries, they feature chicken products, breakfast items, soft drinks, milkshakes, wraps, and desserts. McDonald's is the world's largest restaurant chain by revenue, serving over 69 million customers daily in over 100 countries across 37,855 outlets as of 2018.
McDonald's had its previous headquarters in Oak Brook, Illinois, but moved its global headquarters to Chicago in June 2018. In 1955, Ray Kroc, a businessman, joined the company as a franchise agent and proceeded to purchase the chain from the McDonald brothers. They rechristened their business as a hamburger stand, and later turned the company into a franchise, with the Golden Arches logo being introduced in 1953 at a location in Phoenix, Arizona. McDonald's is an American fast food company, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. Corporate logo on red background with the wordmark, used in the 1990s and early 2000s