McDonald's Corporation
Irish immigrant parents → USA
Agriculture, Food & Consumer Goods
Summary
McDonald’s was founded in 1940 in San Bernardino, California, by brothers Richard “Dick” and Maurice “Mac” McDonald, sons of Patrick and Margaret McDonald, Irish immigrants from County Galway who had emigrated to New Hampshire in the late nineteenth century. The brothers’ 1948 “Speedee Service System” — a drive-in barbecue rebuilt around a streamlined kitchen producing burgers in under a minute — invented the modern fast-food model. Ray Kroc, the milkshake-machine salesman who franchised the brothers’ system from 1954 and bought them out in 1961, scaled it globally. McDonald’s now operates in over 100 countries.
European Contribution
Irish immigrant family discipline and the post-Famine work ethic transmitted to a Californian generation.
American Impact
Invented the modern fast-food restaurant model; created one of the most globally recognised commercial brands of the twentieth century.
Timeline Highlights
- Late 19th c. McDonald parents emigrate from Galway
- 1940 Brothers open San Bernardino drive-in barbecue
- 1948 Speedee Service System launched
- 1955 Ray Kroc opens first franchise in Des Plaines, Illinois
- 1961 Kroc buys out the McDonald brothers