Sixty years ago today, the first McDonald’s franchise restaurant opened on Lee Street in Des Plaines. Developed by architect Stanley Meston, the restaurant featured red and white tiles with the recognizable golden arches.

Ray Kroc, while visiting a restaurant in San Bernardino, Calif., on a sales trip, was fascinated by the operation of a fast-food style restaurant focusing on a few staple items.

Kroc took the business model of the California restaurant and turned it into an international success. After opening the first franchise store in 1955, franchises all over the country opened. By 1959, over 100 restaurants had opened and by 1967, McDonald’s was opening restaurants in Canada and Puerto Rico.

Today, McDonald’s is the world’s largest chain restaurant, operating 35,000 restaurants in over 115 countries. While the original restaurant in Des Plaines is no longer operational, the site now features the McDonald’s #1 Store Museum, a rebuilt replica of the original restaurant that started it all.

Learn more:
McDonald’s #1 Store Museum
McDonald’s Archives – Time.com
McDonald’s History
The Ray Kroc Story