I would order burgers, fries and milkshake. I actually passed by one of the original McDonald's in Downey California. I didn't eat there, but just passed by. It looked really cool
I lived in Chicago in the 1950's and our house was about a mile from McDonald's number four. A hamburger, fries and a small Coke was pretty much the standard order. The hamburger was 15 cents and the fries and coke were a dime each. We never felt the cheese was worth the extra nickel. I was majorly bummed out as a teenager when they wouldn't let motorcycles park in their lot. On Fridays, my Catholic friends could order a "special" cheeseburger with twice the cheese and no meat. Back then the Catholic church took meatless Fridays very seriously.
I may have said this before, but I worked at the first McDonald's in Toledo, OH, back in late summer of 1959. Yes, the hamburgers were 15 cents, cheeseburgers and fries were 19 cents and shakes were very cheap as well. I was the bun man, which means I prepared the buns for the burgers. After working a 4 hour shift, we got free food, and that almost better than the hourly pay to me.
I remember 15 cent burgers and a walk up window. The golden arches were outside of the building. Mom treated us to a meal after grocery shopping every two weeks. We all had the same thing. Burgers, fries, and a small drink. It was a huge thing for us to get such a treat.
When I was a small child in the early 1950s my parents would occasionally pass through San Bernardino during Sunday drives. A cheap lunch at the original McDonald's was a sure thing. The menu was simple, really simple . . . burgers, cheeseburgers and doubles. Most memorable were the terrible, limp and peel-festooned store-made fries and slobby patrons who dumped their trash out of their car windows onto the parking lot. A poor white-uniformed teenager was always on duty to sweep up the mess. Ah! The good ol' days!
How were the non frozen, fresh french fries , back then ? I always wonder, every time I eat them and not too often the fries/crap that McDonald's serves today.
We used to to McDoanld's for dinner on Sundays when they opened a restaurant in South Bend, Indiana back in the mid-60s. If you're old enough to remember the original, red-and-white tiled hamburger stand McDonald's, that's what it was. You went inside and placed your order, and once you had your food, you either ate it in the car or took it home. There were small benches molded into each side of the building, but that was it. No seating inside. Hamburgers were 15 cents. Frankly, I thought their fries were greasy, but their vanilla shakes were great. After eating, we'd go on a Sunday drive
wow , i remember as a youngster ,our town had a mcdonald's , and the building actually had big lighted golden arches . they started at the front bottoms of both sides of the building , arched up at the top and went down both sides of the back bottom .......awesome...........sadly , it's no longer there , what a loss.☹☹☹☹. great share , great memories , thank you , for sharing🥰🥰🥰🥰...........
I remember early 60’s standing in line with my Dad. It was at least four lines of patrons, and burgers were $.50 each. The deal was also that you got a discount or order free if they couldn’t deliver in 2 minutes. I didn’t understand business as a toddler, but thought this was an amazing business. That outlook hasn’t changed today.
It seems weird now but when we were on road trips back in the 60’s we loved looking at the McDonald’s signs counting the number of burgers sold. And when I was 16 you could get a burger, fries and a drink for 1.50. Since fast food was still fairly rare the trip itself was an adventure.
An added attraction was that if your receipt had a star on it the order was free in the early 1950's! Ate many a meal at the San Bernardino location in the 1950's. In those days the French Fries were exceptional. Potatoes were ordered about a week ahead of time and stored in a shed behind the store where they would lose some moisture in the dry semi-arid climate which was perfect for good tasting fries.
..... I remember the star ... But, was actually a somewhat universal star ... As it was actually an intended star, that would notify the clerk, that the receipt tape was at the end of the tape ... ... And because every store (hardware, clothing, shoes, etc) used the same paper in their register, the chance of getting a star, was pretty good ..... ⭐
I went to the McDonald's museum there a few years ago and I really liked it, it was quite interesting. They do have an old location in Downey, CA that's pretty cool. They have a little museum and that location still sells the fried apple pies!
1955 - The First McDonald’s Opens Kroc opens his first McDonald's in Des Plaines, Illinois on April 15. The attention getting red and white tiled building with the Golden Arches was designed by architect Stanley Meston in 1953. First day sales are $366.12.
The genius of Ray Kroc and the McDonald's corporation, is that the Corporation owns all of the land Franchises sit on. If you want to own a McDonalds' you have to lease the land from McDonal's Corporation. They are one of the largest real estate holders in the world. They make as much money (if not more) from their land lease deals as they do from sales of the restaurants.
The idea of owning the land was not due to Ray Kroc's so-called genius. By sheer chance he ran into the right person who knew more about real estate than he did. It's doubtful that he would have ever come up with that idea on his own. Kroc was not a genius, he was just very very persistent, proving that you don't have to be all that smart to succeed in the business world, or the corporate world. You just have to be persistent, heartless, lucky, and ready to screw anybody who stands in your way. He even ended up screwing the two brothers who were the source of his inspiration. IMO Ray Kroc is not a hero; he is emblematic of the corporate mindset that has turned America into a capitalist oligarchy. People like him think that the world is divided neatly into only two categories: winners and losers. And the very system that these so-called winners think is the Holy Grail of economics creates this huge division of income and wealth inequality. They do not want there to be more people living prosperously, making decent living wages that they deserve to be paid, because the more poor people there are, the more their tales of success and acquired wealth seem heroic.
I was born in Downey California and they have the oldest standing McDonald’s. My parents ate there and my grandparents took us there as kids. I believe it’s the only McDonald’s with 1 arch at each end of the building
In the mid 1980s my wife was the secretary to Bert Murray of Murray Restaurant Supply, a wholesaler, in Colton Ca. Mr Murray told her how Ray Croc was introduced to the McDonald brothers. One of the supply salesmen who called on him was Ray Kroc. Kroc complained that he couldn't get in to see the brothers to sell them the new Hamilton Beach Multimixers. Mr Murray said "get your hat, and I'll drive". That is how Kroc met the McDonald brothers. In 1987 Murry's 50th year in business invitations went out to his customers and friends for a celebration. Soon after, the phone rang, my wife answered, and it was Richard McDonald calling from Bar Harbor Maine. He wasn't able to make the dinner having just undergone eye surgery and was calling to offer his apologies for not making the dinner and asked for a call back from Mr Murray. Thirty-five years later, there aren't many people around who can say they spoke with a world-wide legend.
In 1967 I worked at a McDonalds that looked almost identical. Western Ave. and Rte. 30, Lincoln Hwy., Chicago Heights, IL. Hamburger 15 cents, Cheeseburger 20 cents, fries 15 cents. My wage; 90 cents/hr. and I was GLAD to have the job!!!!🥰🤩😍
I'm getting a bit tired of people saying Ronald McDonald was a horrifying clown....i grew up in the 70's at the height of Ronald's popularity and not once did I my siblings or any or of our friends ever think of Ronald McDonald as horrifying....in fact we looked forward to him visiting our local Mcdonald's every time......
The Founder was such a brilliant film, Michael Keaton was perfect as Ray Kroc (a blend of charmer and villain). My favourite scene was the one included here where they chalked out the kitchen on the tennis court to work out everybody's movements to maximum efficiency. The closing of that scene was like a finely choreographed ballet.
I drove by there a few years ago & it is all boarded up with a chain link fence around it. If you wish to visit make sure you take some armed guards with you as it is in San Bernardino.
That was still probably a lot right because everything else would also be low price. With the quality of things upping nowadays maybe a full meal costing 12 bucks makes sense.
@@Donutkommando Burgers were better, they were always made from Fresh not Frozen beef, they Never had SLIME added and were served by People that Wanted to Wait on you and make Sure you were Happy, Yes they were Lots Better
There was a walk-up in the 60s in Pacific Beach, CA called Henrys. It was close to the beach and it was where we'd go after surfing all morning. 15 cent burgers, fries and shakes. You could stuff yourself for a buck. Ah, the good old days!
Ray Kroc took McDonald's to a whole new level! At least he and the McDonald's brothers are now serving McDonald's hamburgers in heaven now. May they all RIP.
Are you serious? Today McDonalds sells nothing but crap. Their hamburger meat and chicken are of the poorest quality, and they use the cheapest polyunsaturated oils for their frying. There is nothing nutritional about their food. The McDonald's brothers created a revolutionary system that was speedier than any other burger or sandwich establishment of their day, but they were also sticklers for quality. Ray Kroc continually sacrificed quality for blanketing the country with as many burger joints as possible and in the shortest amount of time. He cared only about quantity and about getting rich, not about quality. He is emblematic of what America has become today -- a nation that prioritizes greed, speed, instant gratification, and quantity over quality and substance.
I agree with Rick! If anything In &out is closest to what the McDonald’s brothers had envisioned… not this crappy, sloppy, complicated menu restaurant they so call McDonald’s! They totally went south on the principles of the McDonald’s bothers.
San Bernardino, California was the first and original McDonald's that was opened by the McDonald's Bros on "E Street". The concrete pad is still there as a landmark and the second McDonald's is just down the street. I know, I lived near McDonald's and used to go there as a kid. They're just North of Baseline Ave.. Croc bought the business from the bros and moved it to DeMoine , Iowa............
Alot of people don't know that Ronald McDonalds Identity is a closely guarded secret.Reason being when it was revealed who he was he was kidnapped and held for a 1 Million Dollar Ransom.A Friend of Mines Son was a Big Shot at McDonalds.His son was in the Hospital and there was a Strange man he had never seen before in there talking to his Son.He asked his Son who he was.His Son told him the story.His son died of the Colon Cancer a few years later.They say whoever they paid off was never found.Just a little more history I thought you would like
I literally live 5 minutes from this McDonald's. If you look at it now it's completely disheveled and the area surrounding it is one of the worst in the L.A. metro (yeah I live in the hood lol). Seriously just Google the area. It's a dump.
Greetings from Australia - I see you got some video from one of our ads. How do I know this? "Tullamarine now open" at 1:52 - that is the suburb where Melbourne's main airport is located.
It was an absolute shame what Ray Crock did to the McDonald brothers, no need for that. Greed gets you most of the time. Crock was a visionary yet a crook! Watch “Founder”, it’ll change your perspective.
I watched it and the McDonald brothers would had fared better if they cooperated with Kroc instead of shackling him with the limitations their lawyer put on the deal. The McDonalds were in the burger business. Kroc's accountant made him the real estate giant that made McDonald's the success it is now. I'm surprised you didn't walk away with that perspective.
@@timmmahhhh Just another way of looking at it. How about the verbal agreement they had, royalties so to speak? Would have made the McDonald brothers billionaires. Krock saw the potential of someone else’s vision and ran with it in another direction. It wasn’t Krock that made the Co as you stated. He was lucky to have hired the right people.
@@user-qm9oo2fd2o Kroc really struggled at first and the McDonalds didn't seem to want to negotiate to make his job easier. Creating franchises didn't get him very far; creating a real estate company to work around their restrictions did. If thr brothers weren't so draconian at following their lawyer's lead I think it would have been more win win. Granted that perspective is how I feel it is portrayed in the movie.
Ray opened a McDonalds restaurant one block north of the original location in San Bernardino to annoy the McDonald brothers after Ray successfully sued them to remove the McDonalds namesake from their establishment as Ray, via legal action, declared 'McDonalds' name belonged to HIM. Richard and Maurice changed the name of the original to 'The Big M', and it was later torched by.....hmmmmm....I wonder who....?????
I remember it was a treat. There was one a couple towns over. When my grandparents would come down from NY to see us in NJ we’d go. Wonder if that location is still there?
@@billybrown7953 Right? When my brother would come out for the weekend his boys were pre school & they would wave bye to the McDonalds up the street smh 😂
Ray's first McDonalds was in Des Plaines, Illinois. Went there shortly after it opened. GREAT! No waiting....you gave the guy 15 cents and he gave you a hamburger. AMAZING!
The Downey location didn't join up with the current McDonald's organization until 1961. This is one aspect that is never mentioned with regards to the history of the place. The brothers' original stand carried on, alone (without other stores inthe chain, which were turned loose after Ray Kroc set up shop in Southern California) under the name, the Big M. It had the same menu it always had and, I can tell you from being one of its customers as a child, it didn't taste the same. There was another of the brothers' stands that joined Ray Kroc's chain in Azusa, which had the original design. It was razed late in the 20th century. Interestingly, one of the stands didn't join the national chain but it still retained the McDonald's name until the 1970s. It was completely independent and had things on the menu that would have never been sold at a chain McDonald's stand. That stand was in Pomona on Fifth Street (now Mission Blvd.)
@@doorguru168888 You're right. My first job was as a box boy in a union represented store in the mid 1960's. Minimum then was $1.25 an hour, and I was being paid $1.75. When I started teaching in 1970 I was paid $6,000 a year. The house I grew up in my parents bought for $13,000 in 1951.
Here in Tallahassee Florida we had one of the first 20 McDonald's, with the arches on either side of the building, walk up window only, 4 tables outside. Then in the 80s some a$$hole bought it, tore it down and built a modern location 1/2 mile down the road. Everyone in town was pissed!
Coming down from the desert, going to McDonalds was a big deal. $1 would get 2 cheeseburgers, fries and a drink and get change back. Years later I worked with Stan Meston the architect who created the Golden Arches, he took a fee instead of a percentage of the company.
The first and original McDonald's is located in Des Plaines, Illinois as is its HQ!!! Mickey D's U is also located there to train new franchisees. I also have college friends that work there. Get your facts straight!!!! I always ordered a burger, fries and a chocolate shake many years ago when it was just a walk up counter service.
*SPEED* is the winning factor here. I go to Mcdonald's and i'm like WTF they have 10 staff in the Kitchen and only 1-2 customers in the shop and i'm the only one in the drive-thru...how are they making money? then i realize i'm in and out in 1 minute and there's 59 more minutes in an hour and there will probably be another 50+ people like me spending up to $20 a meal or more...
I remember going to M D when I was very young and it was great, a real hamburger, not the food slop they server to day, Ya could not give me free food from there today. Of course they are all the same today, I do not eat at any fast food chains, scary to eat the slop they serve today. Real meat and real cheese back in the day, not now.
I could never quite work out what Grimace stood for. The Hamburgler made sense. Obviously the burgers were so good that you had to steal them, but Grimace always confused me a bit.
when the first McDonald's was made the gold standard was in affect for the USA dollar that's why it was so cheep now it's just paper $12 now to get a combo meal lol
McDonald's was very good when they first come out and then when they went to the restaurant type they went to hell the food quality went down they need to bring back the Old MacDonald's and make the food they did back in the day
McDonald's is in every Americans blood stream. It's easy to hate, but you can't live without it. Eventually your going to be craving those fry's, you know it!
4:12 we had a McDonald's restaurant like this in Oregon it was always closed been there for years and one day it was gone and a new McDonald's took its place personally the older one was better looking
It’s sad that McDonald’s is NOTHING like the founders envisioned. Corporate dosent even know WHO the “clown” is and what Ronald McDonald represents. I was told by corporate that the clown is a metaphor. The “clown” Ronald McDonald, represents family, good times and great memories and high quality burgers,fries and icy cold Coca Cola.
I loved McDonalds as a kid. Now it seems like the quality of the food has descended into hell! The only time that I will eat at one is if it’s the last alternative. The food seems tasteless.
It more likely that your taste has become more sophisticated as you've gotten older. Everything tastes great when you're a kid (well... stuff that isn't good for you, that is). There's loads of sugar and crap in McDonalds food and there always was, it's never been great food. And hey, I used to love it too just like you did.
