1954

Ray Kroc became the first franchisee appointed by Mac and Dick McDonald in San
Bernardino, California.

1955
Ray Kroc opened his first restaurant in Des Plaines, Illinois (near Chicago), and the
McDonald's Corporation was created.

1957
Quality, Service, Cleanliness and Value (Q.S.C. & V.) became the company motto.

1959
The 100th McDonald's opened in Chicago.
PHOTO: The McDonald brothers (Dick right and Mac center) discussing
plans with an executive.

1961
Ray Kroc bought all rights to the McDonald's concept from the
McDonald's brothers for $2.7 million.
Hamburger University opened in Elk Grove, near Chicago.

1963

One billion hamburgers sold.

The 500th restaurant opened.
The 500th student graduates from Hamburger University.
Ronald McDonald made his debut.
McDonald's net income exceeded $1 million.

1964
Filet-o-Fish sandwich introduced.

1965
McDonald's Corporation went public. Per earning ratio varies from 10 to 22 during year;
stock price range, 15 - 33.5.

1966
McDonald's listed on the New York stock exchange on the 7th May.

1967
The first restaurants outside of the USA opened in Canada and Puerto Rico.

1968
The Big Mac was introduced.
The 1,000th restaurant opened in Des Plaines, Illinois.

1970
McDonald's restaurant in every US state.
Ray Cesca (Director of Global Purchasing of the McDonald's Corporation) has admitted that
when McDonald's opened stores in Costa Rica in 1970, they were using beef from cattle raised
on ex-rainforest land, deforested in the 1950's and 1960's.
New countries - Virgin Islands, Costa Rica.
PHOTO: The first Japanese McDonald's in Tokyo.

1971
The Egg McMuffin sandwich was test marketed in the
US as McDonald's first breakfast menu item.
McDonald's Japanese President, Den Fujita, stated "the
reason Japanese people are so short and have yellow skins
is because they have eaten nothing but fish and rice for two
thousand years"; "if we eat McDonald's hamburgers and
potatoes for a thousand years we will become taller, our
skin become white and our hair blonde".
New countries - Japan, Holland, Australia, Germany, Panama, Guam.

1972
Assets exceeded $500 million and sales surpassed $1 billion.
A new McDonald's restaurant opening every day.
New countries - France, El Salvador.
The 2,000th restaurant opened in Des Plaines, Illinois.
The Quarter Pounder was introduced.
Ray Kroc made a $250,000 donation to the controversial 1972 presidential campaign of
Richard Nixon, a donation which was perhaps a subject of investigation during the Watergate
corruption scandal. Passages in the 'Behind The Arches' book (written with McDonald's backing
and assistance) state that the donation came around the very time that McDonald's franchisees

were lobbying to prevent an increase in the minimum wage, and to get legislation (dubbed 'The
McDonald's Bill') passed to be able to pay a sub- minimum wage to some young workers.

1973
McDonald's Golden Arches Restaurants Limited founded in UK as a joint venture
partnership between the McDonald's Corporation and two businessmen; one British, one
American.
New country - Sweden.
Egg McMuffin introduced.

1974
The 3,000th McDonald's restaurant was opened in Woolwich (south east London) in October,
the first in the UK. The company admitted that NOBODY went in and later decided to target
children with TV ads.
The UK Head Office was sited in Hampstead, North London.
Up to 1974, McDonald's employees in Puerto Rico were unionised, but the company was
sold to a new franchisee. A dispute followed, closing all the stores and McDonald's pulled out of
Puerto Rico. They reopened in 1980 with non-union labour.
New countries - England, Netherlands, Antilles, Guatemala.
The first Ronald McDonald House opened in Philadelphia.
At a San Francisco Labor Board hearing, McDonald's workers testified that lie-detectors had
been used to ask about union sympathies, following which the company was threatened with
legal action.
PHOTO: McDonald's buildings have undergone dramatic changes from the first one opened by Kroc in 1955
(top) which is now preserved as a museum, to this ultra modern
restaurant opened in 1983 in New Orleans (bottom).

1975
The company's first Drive-Thru opened in Sierra Vista,
Arizona.
New countries - Hong Kong, Bahamas, Nicaragua.
Fred Turner becomes Chairman, Ray Kroc Senior Chairman,
and Ed Schmitt becomes President.
Broadcast advertising appeared in UK cinemas.

1976

McDonald's first UK TV advertisement was broadcast.

4,000th store opened in Canada.
New countries - Switzerland, New Zealand.
Largest restaurant opens - with 334 seats.

1977
New countries - Ireland, Austria.
Breakfast menu introduced, nationally in America.

1978
The 5,000th restaurant opened in Kanagawa, Japan and it made US $1 million in its first year.
Sundaes introduced in USA.
In one store in Chicago (USA), a majority of McDonald's workers joined a union. The
company then took legal action to stop recognition for the union unless they could get a majority
in the 8 stores run by the franchisee.
New country - Belgium.

1979
A 7 month strike in Dublin (Ireland) lead to recognition of the ITGWU union. In 1985, two
union activists won a victory at a labour court after claiming victimisation and unfair dismissal.
New countries - Brazil and Singapore.

1980
The 6,000th restaurant opened in Munich.
After workers in a store in Detroit (USA) joined a union, the company organised a visit by a
top baseball star, staff disco, and 'McBingo' prior to elections for union representation.
First floating restaurant on a steamer in Missouri.
1,000th international restaurant opened.

1981
New countries - Spain, Denmark and Malaysia.

1982
Geoffrey Guiliano, a main Ronald McDonald actor, quit and publicly apologised, stating "I
brainwashed youngsters into doing wrong. I want to say sorry to children everywhere for selling
out to concerns who make millions by murdering animals".
7,000th restaurant opened in Washington DC.
McDonald's were responsible for food poisoning outbreak caused by E. Coli bacteria, which
affected 47 people in Oregon and Michigan, USA.
Egon Ronay calls McDonald's burgers 'uninspiring'.
Breakfast was introduced to the British menu.
PHOTO: The $40 million 'Hamburger University'.

1983
The McDonald's Corporation became sole owners of
McDonald's in the UK. The Company is named McDonald's
Hamburgers Limited.
Five consignments of Brazilian beef are secretly imported
for McDonald's UK stores.
The 100th UK restaurant opened in Market Street, Manchester.
New country - Norway.
Introduction of Chicken McNuggets in USA.
New Hamburger University campus opens in Oak Brook, Illinois. Set in 80 wooded acres.
Training is provided for every level of McDonald's management worldwide. A lodge with 154
rooms in also on the same site.
In Arkansas (USA), the UFCW union, which was interested in recruiting McDonald's
workers, was involved in a union dispute at a chicken processing plant supplying McDonald's.
The union launched a boycott of McDonald's 'McNuggets' and picketed many of its stores. Stan
Stein (McDonald's Head of Personnel and Labour Relations) spent up to '80%' of a whole year
fighting the union's campaign.

1984
Founder Ray Kroc dies.
James Huberty shoots 22 people dead at a McDonald's in San Diego (USA).
50 billionth hamburger sold.
Ronald McDonald Children's Charities is founded in his memory to raise funds in support of
child welfare.
A McDonald's pamphlet which is distributed to health professionals in the UK states:
"There is a considerable amount of evidence to suggest that many of the diseases which
are more common in the western, affluent world - diseases such as obesity, diabetes, high
blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, and some forms of cancer - are related to diet. The
typical western diet is relatively low in dietary fibre (roughage) and high in fat, salt and
sugar."
McDonald's now serves 17 million customers a day - equivalent to serving lunch to the entire
population of Australia and New Zealand. If McDonald's lined up all the hamburgers sold since
1955, they would:

Circle the equator 103.75 times;

Reach to the moon and back 5 times.

PHOTO: Ray Kroc demonstrating his fetish for cleanliness.

1985
London Greenpeace (a radical group of civil rights and
environmental campaigners, independent of Greenpeace
International) launches a campaign intended to expose the reality
behind the advertising mask of the fast food chains, including
McDonald's.
Sergio Quintana, the sales director of Coop Montecillos (the
sole supplier of beef to McDonald's stores in Costa Rica since 1970), stated on camera that his
company's beef was being supplied to McDonald's in the USA.

1986
Drive-Thru restaurants opened in UK at Fallowfield, Dudley, Neasden and Coventry.
Four workers in Madrid who had called for union elections were sacked by McDonald's. The
company was forced to reinstate the workers after the labour court ruled that the dismissals were
illegal.
The 200th UK restaurant opened in lpswich.
PICTURE: Cover of the "What's wrong with McDonald's?" factsheet produced by London
Greenpeace.

McDonald's became the first UK restaurant group to introduce nutritional

information, throughout the country, for the benefit of customers.
London Greenpeace published a 6-sided factsheet entitled "What's Wrong With McDonald's?
- Everything They Don't Want You To Know".
The first UK franchisee-operated restaurant opened in Hayes, Middlesex.
The first World Day of Action Against McDonald's was held on 16th October (UN 'World
Food Day').

1987
The Attorneys General of Texas, California and New York threatened to sue McDonald's
under the consumer protection laws over an advertising campaign claiming that McDonald's
food is nutritious. The Attorneys General concluded that the campaign was deceptive because
"McDonald's food is, as a whole, not nutritious."
McDonald's is serving 20 million people a day in nearly 10,000 restaurants in 47 countries.
The UK Midlands regional training centre opened in Sutton Coldfield.
McDonald's started legal proceedings against the Transnationals Information Centre (an
independent research and action group based in London) over a booklet they produced called
"Working for Big Mac" which was highly critical of the company's employment practices. The
TIC backed down lacking resources to fight the case to trial, discontinued publication and
distribution of the booklet (which was pulped), and the organisation itself went bust.

1988

 McDonald's sponsored the Child of Achievement Awards.

CFCs ceased to be used for most of McDonald's styrofoam packaging.
300th UK restaurant opened in Dagenham, Essex.
PHOTO:An ad in a German newspaper which aims to counter criticism that
McDonald's is changing German restaurant traditions for the worse.

1989
Italian designer Valentino attempts in a Rome court to stop
McDonald's opening near the Piazza di Spagna, complaining of "noise
and disgusting odours".
McDonald's is listed on the Frankfurt, Munich, Paris and Tokyo
stock exchanges.
The Bournemouth Advertiser (UK) is threatened with a libel action
by McDonald's over an article which discussed the captive-bolt method
of slaughter for cattle. The newspaper backed down and published an
apology.
Michael Quinlan is appointed Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.
The UK company's name was changed to McDonald's Restaurants Limited.
McDonald's send undercover private investigators to infiltrate London Greenpeace over a
period of 20 months.
McDonald's charity for child welfare fundraising, Ronald McDonald Children's Charities,
was registered.
McDonald's Child of Achievement Awards were presented by UK Prime Minister Mrs
Margaret Thatcher.
The UK Manchester regional training centre was opened.
McDonald's stores in Philadelphia (USA) were independently surveyed and accused of
having racist differential wage rates between the inner-city stores (mostly black workers) and the
suburbs (mostly white workers).

1990
September - libel writs were served on five supporters of London Greenpeace, three of whom
feel unable to fight the case. The McLibel Support Campaign is set up to generate solidarity and
financial backing for the McLibel Defendants.
McDonald's opened in Pushkin Square and Gorky Street, Moscow.
McDonald's opened at a UK airport at North Terminal, Gatwick.
The first Ronald McDonald House opened at Guy's Hospital, London.
McDonald's Child of Achievement Awards attended by HRH The Princess of Wales.

1991
McDonald's were responsible for a serious food poisoning outbreak in Preston (UK), when
several customers were hospitalised as a result of eating undercooked burgers contaminated by
potentially deadly E.Coli 0157H bacteria.

 The 150th Ronald McDonald House opened in Paris.

McDonald's opened in Beijing, China.
The 400th UK restaurant (and first in Northern Ireland) is opened in Belfast.
McDonald's opens in Hampstead (North London) despite strong opposition from local
residents.
PHOTO: A 1950's newspaper advert.

1992
Mark Hopkins, a McDonald's worker in Manchester (UK),
was fatally electrocuted on touching a 'fat filtering unit' in the
'wash-up' area of the store.
The manager of a Newcastle store (UK) was jailed for 6
months for inducing a crew member to phone through a hoax
bomb threat to nearby Burger King in order to boost sales at
McDonald's.
McDonald's Child of Achievement Awards attended by UK
Prime Minister John Major.
McDonald's opened in a railway station at Liverpool Street, London.
A UK Health & Safety Executive report made 23 recommendations for improvements in the
safety of employees. One of its conclusions was "The application of McDonald's hustle policy
[ie. getting staff to work at speed] in many restaurants was, in effect, putting the service of the
customer before the safety of employees."
Visitors to Salisbury Cathedral (UK) are offered two burgers for the price of one if they buy a
commemorative parchment scroll. The idea is dropped when the bishop gets back from holiday.
First restaurant in a European hospital opened at Guy's Hospital, London.

1993
The first McDonald's at sea opened aboard the Silja Europa, the world's largest ferry sailing
between Stockholm and Helsinki.
The Paris planning authorities refuse permission for a McDonald's under the Eiffel Tower.
The second Ronald McDonald House opened at Alder Hey Children's Hospital, Liverpool.
500th UK restaurant opened in Notting Hill Gate, London.
First UK operated restaurant on a ship opened on the Stena Sealink ferry "Fantasia" sailing
between Dover and Calais.
McDonald's sponsored athletics in the UK through the McDonald's Young Athletes' League
and the International invitational meeting the McDonald's Games.

1994
McLibel Trial starts on 28th June.
Restaurants opened in Bahrain, Bulgaria, Egypt, Kuwait, Latvia, Oman, New Caledonia,
Trinidad and United Arab Emirates, bringing the total to over 15,000 in 79 countries on 6
continents.

 McDonald's celebrated twenty years of operating in the UK.

McDonald's environmental image was revealed to be a sham, and customers being conned
when it was discovered that rubbish which customers were asked to put into separated recycling
bins throughout New Zealand stores was sent to the tip.
McDonald's achieved the highest ever grade under the Royal Society for the Prevention of
Accidents (RoSPA)Quality Safety Audit scheme.
McDonald's was voted the 'Most Parent Friendly' restaurant in the UK for the second
successive year by the Tommy's Parent Friendly Campaign, supported by the Daily Telegraph.
Workers in an Ontario store (Canada) joined a union, but the company managed to avoid
recognition by ensuring victory in Labour Board sponsored elections.
The McLibel Defendants issue a countersuit for libel against McDonald's over the company's
accusation in a leaflet that they are telling lies.
Five McDonald's managers are arrested in Lyon, France for trying to rig union elections.
On 1st October, McDonald's UK executives held a celebration along with a jazz band and
clown at their Woolwich store to mark 20 years since this first store opened in the UK. Twenty
five London Greenpeace and McLibel supporters gathered with a banner reading "20 Years of
McGarbage" and handed out 4000 "What's Wrong With McDonald's?" leaflets to passers-by.
In October, there is an demonstration at McDonald's European headquarters in London where
sackfuls of the company's litter picked up off the streets are returned. 500 people attend the
National March Against McDonald's through central London to protest against the company's
exploitation of people, animals and the environment.
The company threatens legal action against a topless restaurant in
Australia called "McTits".
PHOTO:An ad in a German newspaper which aims to counter criticism that
McDonald's is changing German restaurant traditions for the worse.

1995
McLibel Trial becomes the longest libel trial in British history on Day
102 in March.
On 15th April, there were international protests to mark the 40th
anniversary of the opening of the world's first store of the McDonald's
Corporation, and to celebrate 10 years of co-ordinated international
resistance to McDonald's.
On the first anniversary of the McLibel Trial (28th June), it becomes known that McDonald's
had initiated secret settlement negotiations and had twice flown members of their US Board of
Directors to London to meet with the McLibel Defendants in an attempt to bring the case to an
end.
12th October, the third anniversary of the death of Mark Hopkins, was a Day of Solidarity
With McDonald's Workers in the UK.
On 16th October, the 11th annual Worldwide Day of Action Against McDonald's, there were
protests in at least 20 countries. In the UK, at least 250 of the company's 600 stores were
leafletted.
On 11th December (Day 199 of the trial), the McLibel Trial becomes the longest civil case in
English history.

 Following widespread opposition by local residents, McDonald's were refused permission to

open an outlet at their European headquarters in north London.

1996
February 16th 10am, the McSpotlight website was launched.
In March, the public's intense concern over the links between the cattle disease BSE and its
human equivalent CJD forced McDonald's UK to ban British beef. The company did not sell any
beef products for a week while supposedly waiting for beef supplies to arrive from other EU
countries.
The "Vegetable Deluxe" was launched in the UK.
McDonald's opened stores in India.
McDonald's and Disney announced a deal giving McDonald's exclusive rights to use
characters from Disney films in its promotions around the world for 10 years. Commentators
called it the biggest global marketing alliance yet devised.
McDonald's opened a store in Belarus, its 100th country.
The movie star Robin Williams turned down a million-pound offer to advertise McDonald's.
McDonald's threatened the owner of a UK sandwich bar called "McMunchies" with legal
action for breach of trademark. A retired Scottish school-teacher called Ronald McDonald, and
the chief of the McDonald clan in Scotland were both outraged at this further attempt by
McDonald's to claim global dominion over the prefix "Mc" and the name "McDonald" which has
been an Irish and Scottish family name for centuries.
The Supreme Court of Denmark ruled against McDonald's claim that a sausage stand called
"McAllan's" was in breach of its trademark.
Following widespread opposition by local residents in Winchmore Hill (north London) which
put a lot of pressure on the local MP (Michael Portillo, the Defence Secretary), McDonald's were
refused permission to convert the local Conservative Association HQ into a Drive-Thru.
McDonald's sued for breach of trademark a Jamaican fast-food company (called the
McDonald's Corporation Limited) which had been operating in Jamaica since the early 1970's.
The Jamaican company succeeded in getting information from the McLibel Trial taken from the
Internet ruled admissible in the case, and in getting an order barring McDonald's from opening
stores in the country until the courtcase was completed.
McDonald's succeeded in its trademark battle in South Africa, when an appeal court
prohibited competitors from using its name and the golden arches symbol.
McDonald's began spending $200 million on a promotional blitz in the USA & Canada to
lure adults to visit their outlets. This included the launch of the new adult burger, the "Arch
Deluxe" in May. Despite this blitz, US sales continued to fall.
The parents of a child, who died from E.Coli 0157 food poisoning after eating McDonald's
burgers in Spain and England, began legal proceedings for compensation in the USA.
Meanwhile, three children who suffered E.Coli 0157 food poisoning in England also from
McDonald's burgers were granted legal aid to sue McDonald's and their supplier McKey's.
McDonald's opened the world's first fast-food ski-through in the Lindvallen resort (Sweden).

 The McLibel Trial became the longest trial of any kind in English legal history in November.
The evidence was completed in July, and the closing speeches in December, but the Judge
reserved his Judgment until the following year.