By December 1948, the brothers had introduced a groundbreaking fast-food restaurant at the corner of Fourteenth and E Streets in San Bernardino. Named “The Dimer,” this new venture reflected its unique value proposition—every item on the menu, including drinks, fries, and hamburgers, was priced at just 10 cents. With a streamlined menu of 11 items, the McDonald brothers emphasized efficiency by serving food in paper wrappings and using disposable flatware, a concept that would later become standard in the fast-food industry.
The McDonald brothers’ pursuit of efficiency led them to organize their kitchen like an assembly line, significantly reducing preparation time and enhancing service speed. They also pioneered the shift from carhop service to self-service windows, where customers could place and collect their orders—a concept that became a hallmark of modern fast food. In 1953, Dick McDonald introduced the iconic golden arches, just before they opened their first franchise store in Phoenix, Arizona.
By the 1950s, the McDonald brothers were earning $100,000 annually, and their success allowed them to expand to eight additional locations in Arizona and California. Despite their success, they were reluctant to expand nationally. This changed when Ray Kroc, a multi-mixer salesman, joined as their franchising agent. On April 15, 1955, Kroc opened his first restaurant, naming it “McDonald’s,” and later established the McDonald’s Corporation.
In 1961, the brothers sold their rights to Kroc for $2.7 million. Dick retired to New York, while Mac passed away in 1971. Under Kroc’s leadership, McDonald’s grew into a global fast-food empire, forever changing the landscape of the restaurant industry.
From Drive-In to Global Empire: The McDonald Brothers' Fast-Food Revolution
