The first McDonald’s store is still around

The original McDonald’s restaurant has stood at 1398 North E. Street at West 14th Street in San Bernardino, California since 1953. The building was tore down 13 years after its initial opening to create one that matches the restaurant chain’s style. The new store was called “The Big M” and closed down in less than 20 years. It is now known as a McDonald’s museum. 

McDonald’s is the top toy contributor

Around 20% of meals from McDonald’s consist of a toy – selling around 5,000 Happy Meals every minute. Around 1.5 billion toys are sold by the chain globally each year. This makes McDonald’s the biggest toy seller in the world, outselling even Hasbro and Mattel. 

McDonald’s Coke is slightly different than at other chains.

The syrup used in Coke is delivered to McDonald’s in stainless steel containers, helping to preserve its freshness and taste. Contrarily, the drink is delivered to other chains in traditional plastic bags. This makes a huge difference in its taste.

McDonald’s is the biggest fast food chain in the world

A global chain, McDonald’s has become the biggest restaurant chain in the world with more than 36,000 locations across 100 countries. Around 69 million people eat at the chain each day, 45 million being in the United States. Second to McDonald’s in global fast food chains comes Subway.

Some McDonald’s arches are not gold

With white arches at a location in Paris, turquoise at one in Sedona, Arizona, black arches in Monterey, California and red arches in Rockland, California, McDonald’s locations don’t always feature its signature golden arches and make each location a unique tourist attraction.

Some locations only have one arch

Rather than its signature double golden arches, some locations only have one arch, as they originally were. In 1961, the name “McDonald’s” and introduced a new logo with two golden arches. Some locations still have the arch around.

McDonald’s locations sometimes look different from the original

While most locations look identical to each other with their signature golden arches and red storefronts, there are also some unique locations like in Freeport, Maine in a colonial mansion, one in Hyde Park, New York, also in a mansion that has stood for more than 200 years, and one in New Zealand, inside an airplane.

McDonald’s is not the oldest burger chain

The McDonald Brothers actually started their first McDonald’s restaurant in San Bernardino, California in 1940 called White Castle, which began in 1921. It is known as the first hamburger chain. A&W served root beer and burgers as a stand starting four years earlier.