This past week McDonald's has been celebrating the birthday of Grimace (everyone's favorite weird purple blob), so I thought it was as good a time as any to share our visit to the very first McDonald's restaurant.
Located along Route 66 in San Bernadino, California, this site is no longer a McDonald's restaurant, but it is home to a fun little museum celebrating all things McDonald's. We stopped by for a visit on our way from Los Angeles to Denver last Summer and it totally felt like stepping back in time. So many childhood memories in one building.
Let's take a look...
Ok, so first of all, let me clear up a little confusion about this particular site and McDonald's history.
There are a few other places that hold similar titles, and it can be a little confusing. This particular site in San Bernadino is the home of the original McDonald's restaurant opened by brothers Dick and Mac McDonald in 1940. It was originally a barbeque restaurant with a large menu and classic car hop service. The brothers temporarily closed their restaurant in 1948 to refit it out as a fast food restaurant, reopening just three months later with a limited menu, the star of which was their 15c burgers.
In 1954, Multimixer salesman Ray Kroc visited the McDonald's restaurant and was fascinated by their fast food operation. He learned that the brothers were seeking to franchise their restaurant concept nationwide and jumped at the opportunity to become the national franchising agent. In 1955 Kroc opened the first McDonald's national franchise in Des Plaines, Illinois. This location in Des Plaines is also often listed as the original McDonald's. It was the first that we would recognize as a McDonald's today, complete with the golden arches signage, but not the original restaurant.
Another McDonald's restaurant that holds a similar title is the "Oldest McDonald's" restaurant in Downey, California. Unlike the original McDonald's that I'm sharing here, the restaurant in Downey is still in operation making it the longest running McDonald's restaurant. This particular McDonald's was opened in 1953 as the second California franchise (making it the third McDonald's over all) and was contracted separately to the national franchises under Ray Kroc a few years later. This means that when McDonald's national franchise designs were updated over the years, the McDonald's in Downey was not required to do so. Today it still looks almost exactly the same as it did when it first opened in 1953. This original styling makes it quite the tourist attraction.
Ok, so there's your little (somewhat confusing!) history lesson for the day. Let's get back to it...
By the time the site of the original McDonald's restaurant became a museum, there was very little of the original building left. In fact, the only thing that remains from the days of the McDonald's brothers is the bottom half of the golden arches sign (the large brick sign in the photo above). The building that stands on the site today was built in 1972 as another fast food restaurant. When the rundown site was purchased in 1998, media reported that the new owner planned to turn build a McDonald's museum. This had not originally been the plan, but the new owner quite liked this idea and so the museum was born.
The items on display here have all been donated by collectors over the years. You'll find a large array of items on display, including original packaging and utensils from the very first restaurant, Happy Meal toys from throughout the years, packaging and promotional items from all around the world, staff uniforms and badges, restaurant furniture and decor, and play equipment that is sure to bring back childhood memories. Even if you're not a fan of McDonald's food, the memorabilia on display is sure to fill you with nostalgia. Ok, and some of it might creep you out a little if you're not fond of clowns. There are quite a few scary looking Ronalds filling the display cases!
Speaking of nostalgia, I was excited to see the plates that my brother and I used for much of our childhood on display. These were a pre-cursor to Happy Meal toys and I can remember that we used to get a booklet of McDonald's vouchers that featured particular items that could be purchased alongside meals. We only went to McDonald's once or twice a year (any Adelaide friends remember the 3 story McDonald's on Rundle Mall?) but somehow my parents managed to get us the plates that lined up with our birthdays. I still have my plate and even though I've eaten off it for a good 40 years now it's still in fantastic condition. See that plate on the left with Ronald spraying Mayor McCheese with a hose? That's the plate I have! My brother had the plate with Ronald on the beach in the next photo down. Both of these confused us a little as they relate the seasons, but were totally backward to us living in Australia. Why would Ronald go to the beach in July - it's Winter!
The kids had fun looking at all the past Happy Meal toys and trying to spot any that they have at home. Some of them were actually pretty impressive, like the Playmobil characters we saw. Playmobil is not cheap, so I didn't expect to see those as a Happy Meal toy. Do you spot any in the pics below that you had as a kid?
And, of course, there was the birthday boy, Grimace on display too. It wasn't his birthday then, but he's always been my favorite McDonald's character (along with the Hamburglar) so he needs his own spot here. I've always wondered just what Grimace is supposed to be. According to signage we saw, he was originally evil and had four arms for stealing milkshakes. But then he became a good guy. I still don't know what he is though!
The Original McDonald's Museum is located at 1398 N E Street, San Bernadino California.
The museum is open daily from 10am to 5pm.
Entry is free, but donations are always welcome.
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