74 Facts About McDonald's

McDonald's Corporation is an American-based multinational fast food chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States.

McDonald's had its previous headquarters in Oak Brook, Illinois, but moved its global headquarters to Chicago in June 2018.

McDonald's is best known for its hamburgers, cheeseburgers and french fries, although their menus include other items like chicken, fish, fruit, and salads.

McDonald's has been the recipient of criticism for the unhealthiness of their food.

McDonald's has been subject to criticism over the health effects of its products, its treatment of employees, and other business practices.

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The original mascot of McDonald's was a chef hat on top of a hamburger who was referred to as "Speedee".

McDonald's appeared in advertising to target their audience of children.

On May 4, 1961, McDonald's first filed for a U S trademark on the name "McDonald's" with the description "Drive-In Restaurant Services", which continues to be renewed.

McDonald's predominantly sells hamburgers, various types of chicken, chicken sandwiches, French fries, soft drinks, breakfast items, and desserts.

In most markets, McDonald's offers salads and vegetarian items, wraps and other localized fare.

Since Steve Easterbrook became CEO of the company, McDonald's has streamlined the menu which in the United States contained nearly 200 items.

McDonald's has looked to introduce healthier options, and removed high-fructose corn syrup from hamburger buns.

McDonald's has removed artificial preservatives from Chicken McNuggets, replacing chicken skin, safflower oil and citric acid found in Chicken McNuggets with pea starch, rice starch and powdered lemon juice.

In September 2018, McDonald's USA announced that they no longer use artificial preservatives, flavors and colors entirely from seven classic burgers sold in the U S, including the hamburger, cheeseburger, double cheeseburger, McDouble, Quarter Pounder with Cheese, double Quarter Pounder with Cheese and the Big Mac.

In November 2020, McDonald's announced McPlant, a plant-based burger, along with plans to develop additional meat alternative menu items that extend to chicken substitutes and breakfast sandwiches.

In New Zealand, McDonald's sells meat pies, after local affiliate McDonald's New Zealand partially relaunched the Georgie Pie fast food chain it bought out in 1996.

In 1994, McDonald's attempted Hearth Express, a prototype specializing in homestyle takeout meals.

From 2015 to 2016, McDonald's tried a new gourmet burger service and restaurant concept based on other gourmet restaurants such as Shake Shack and Grill'd.

In 2006, McDonald's introduced its "Forever Young" brand by redesigning all of its restaurants, the first major redesign since the 1970s.

McDonald's began banning smoking in 1994 when it restricted customers from smoking within its 1, 400 wholly owned restaurants.

Since the late 1990s, McDonald's has attempted to replace employees with electronic kiosks which would perform actions such as taking orders and accepting money.

In 1999, McDonald's first tested "E-Clerks" in suburban Chicago, Illinois, and Wyoming, Michigan, with the devices being able to "save money on live staffers" and attracting larger purchase amounts than average employees.

In September 2019, McDonald's purchased an AI-based start-up Apprente for replacing human servers with voice-based technology in its US drive-throughs.

McDonald's workers have on occasions decided to strike over pay, with most of the employees on strike seeking to be paid $15.

In September 2017, two British McDonald's stores agreed to a strike over zero-hours contracts for staff.

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In 2015, McDonald's pledged to stop using eggs from battery cage facilities by 2025.

McDonald's continues to source pork from facilities that use gestation crates, and in 2012 pledged to phase them out.

McDonald's operates 37, 855 restaurants worldwide, employing more than 210, 000 people as of the end of 2018.

McDonald's owned a majority stake in Chipotle Mexican Grill until October 2006, when McDonald's fully divested from Chipotle through a stock exchange.

McDonald's is ranked 131st on the Fortune 500 of the largest United States corporations by revenue.

McDonald's closed down 184 restaurants in the United States in 2015, which was 59 more than what they planned to open.

McDonald's shares traded at over $145 per share, and its market capitalization was valued at over US$134.

McDonald's earns a significant portion of its revenue from rental payments from franchisees.

In other countries, McDonald's restaurants are operated by joint ventures of McDonald's Corporation and other, local entities or governments.

Fast Food Nation states that McDonald's is the largest private operator of playgrounds in the U S, as well as the single largest purchaser of beef, pork, potatoes, and apples.

The selection of meats McDonald's uses varies to some extent based on the culture of the host country.

On June 13, 2016, McDonald's confirmed plans to move its global headquarters to Chicago's West Loop neighborhood in the Near West Side.

McDonald's moved into the Oak Brook facility from an office within the Chicago Loop in 1971.

McDonald's was replaced as CEO by Chris Kempczinski, who had been president of McDonald's USA.

McDonald's has become emblematic of globalization, sometimes referred to as the "McDonaldization" of society.

Thomas Friedman said that no country with a McDonald's had gone to war with another; however, the "Golden Arches Theory of Conflict Prevention" is incorrect.

McDonald's suspended operations in its corporate-owned stores in Crimea after Russia annexed the region in 2014.

McDonald's has operated in Russia since 1990 and at August 2014 had 438 stores across the country.

When it opened in Hong Kong in 1975, McDonald's was the first restaurant to consistently offer clean restrooms, driving customers to demand the same of other restaurants and institutions.

McDonald's has taken to partnering up with Sinopec, the second largest oil company in the People's Republic of China, as it takes advantage of the country's growing use of personal vehicles by opening numerous drive-thru restaurants.

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McDonald's has opened a McDonald's restaurant and McCafe on the underground premises of the French fine arts museum, The Louvre.

On March 8, 2022, McDonald's temporarily closed their 850 locations in Russia due to the invasion of Ukraine, but will continue to pay the salary for 62, 000 employees.

On May 16, 2022, McDonald's announced that the closures would become permanent and that it was selling all its 850 stores in Russia.

Furthermore, 32 years after McDonald's entered the Soviet market, the American giant wants its current business to be "de-Arched", the company plans to retain its trademarks in Russia, meaning the locations would no longer be allowed to use the McDonald's name, logo, or menu.

McDonald's said it would continue to pay its Russian employees until the sale is finalized.

On June 10, 2022, a Russian McDonald's buyer announced a new logo as an attempt at rebranding.

In September 2020, McDonald's partnered with rapper Travis Scott to release the "Travis Scott Meal", a Quarter Pounder with cheese, bacon, lettuce, pickles, ketchup and mustard; medium fries with barbecue sauce; and a Sprite, nationwide.

McDonald's followed up with the "J Balvin Meal", a Big Mac with no pickles; fries with ketchup; and a Oreo McFlurry, in a partnership with reggaeton singer J Balvin.

In 2021, McDonald's partnered with Korean boy group BTS to release the "BTS Meal" in 50 countries around the world, starting on May 26 in select countries.

McDonald's entered the NASCAR Cup Series in 1977, sponsoring Richard Childress for one race.

The following season McDonald's would move over to the No 94 Bill Elliott Racing Ford, driven by team-owner Bill Elliott.

McDonald's stayed with Elliott until the 2001 season when they moved again, this time to the No 96 PPI Motorsports Ford, driven by rookie Andy Houston.

McDonald's moved to CGR's No 42 of Kyle Larson, whom the company sponsored until his suspension in 2020, and had a one-race partnership with Richard Petty Motorsports' No 43 Chevrolet driven by Bubba Wallace in 2019 and 2020.

McDonald's continued working with the No 42 under new driver Ross Chastain in 2021 and joined Wallace's new team 23XI Racing as a "founding partner".

McDonald's is the title sponsor of the McDonald's All-American Game, all-star basketball games played each year for top ranked amateur American and Canadian boys' and girls' high school basketball graduates.

McDonald's officials came to the hospital, accompanied by a representative from the accounting firm Arthur Andersen, who examined the card under a jeweler's eyepiece, handled it with plastic gloves, and verified it as a winner.

McDonald's has been criticised for numerous aspects of its business, including the health effects of its products, its treatment of employees, and other business practices.

Morgan Spurlock's 2004 documentary film Super Size Me claimed that McDonald's food was contributing to the increase of obesity in society and that the company was failing to provide nutritional information about its food for its customers.

Six weeks after the film premiered, McDonald's announced that it was eliminating the super size option, and was creating the adult Happy Meal.

McDonald's introduced a new slogan to its recruitment posters: "Not bad for a McJob".

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Since McDonald's began receiving criticism for its environmental practices in the 1970s, it has significantly reduced its use of materials.

In 1990, McDonald's worked with the Environmental Defense Fund to stop using "clam shell"-shaped styrofoam food containers to store its food products.

McDonald's has been involved in a number of lawsuits and other legal cases, most of which involved trademark disputes.

McDonald's has threatened many food businesses with legal action unless it drops the Mc or Mac from trading names.

The EUIPO ruled in Supermac's favour, finding that McDonald's "has not proven genuine use" of many trademarks, cancelling McDonald's owned trademarks such as "Big Mac" and certain "Mc"-related trademarks within the European Union.

Burger King responded by "trolling" McDonald's by giving their sandwiches names that included the words "Big Mac", that mocked the original burger, which included, "Like a Big Mac But Juicier", "Like a Big Mac, But Actually Big" and "Big Mac-ish But Flame-Grilled of Course".

McDonald's group has had proceedings taken against it from the French Tax Authorities, with possible charges of criminal tax fraud.

McDonald's lost in an appeal to Malaysia's highest court, the Federal Court.

On December 29, 2016, McDonald's Malaysia issued a statement that said only certified halal cakes are allowed inside its restaurants nationwide.