'Donalds Hits the Big Five-O
Mood
Hungry
McDonalds hits 50 today and I don't know about you but I am definitely planning on celebrating. Matt says we should by having a nice home cooked meal. He's a party pooper.
Anyway, I found some great McDonalds themed things I thought I would share with you today anyway, just to be in the spirit of things.
First an interview with one of the early McEmployees who worked at the first McDonalds when he was just 14 (after lying to the manager and saying he was 15 so that he would get the job). I thought it was really cool that he worked there two summers and even was offered an oppurtunity to get more involved with the business by Ray Kroc himself.
"That's one thing I regret," said Zakos, 64, who ran the fryer when McDonald's No. 1 opened in Des Plaines on April 15, 1955. "Ray offered to let me into the business when they were building up their corporate offices in Oak Brook, but I had a sports scholarship for college. None of us had any idea what McDonald's would become. Even Ray, he had these great plans, but I don't think he even could have dreamed it would become this worldwide phenomena."Chicago Tribune - Golden memories of golden era
That restaurant where he had worked is closed now, though.
The McDonald's No. 1 in Des Plaines closed in 1983 when the company decided to tear it down in favor of a more modern restaurant. About a year later, McDonald's built a replica of that first restaurant on the original site at 400 Lee St.Chicago Tribune - Golden memories of golden eraThe company opens its doors each spring so people can see what the restaurant looked like when it started.
Zakos said he still drives by McDonald's No. 1 occasionally. It looks just like the restaurant did back in 1955, but he has a hard time seeing it as a museum.
"It's sad to look at," he said. "I feel like the restaurant should always be open."
I found some pictures of that restaurant - both how it is now and how it was in 1955 - here.
They have built a huge 24,000 square foot replica of it in downtown Chicago and it's opening today, though I don't think we are going to go see it just yet. Some pics of the construction and such can be found here.
I also came across a mini-quiz that asks some questions about the Ronald McDonald characters. I managed to get four out of five right, I ended up getting burned on the Fry Kids question.
So, happy birthday McDonalds! Go out and celebrate.
Posted by Bitsy at 01:48 PM Comments
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