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McDonald's Corporation

McDonald's is the leading global food service retailer with more than 30,000 local restaurants serving nearly 50 million people in more than 119 countries each day. It is one of the world's most well-known and valuable brands and holds a leading share in the globally branded fast food segment of the informal restaurant market in virtually every country in which they do business. McDonald's serves the world some of its favourite foods — world-famous French Fries, Big Mac, Quarter Pounder, Chicken McNuggets and Egg McMuffin.

The first McDonald's restaurant opened in Des Plaines, Illinois by McDonald's Corporation founder, Ray Kroc, on April 15th, 1955. First day's revenues — $366.12! In 1965, McDonald's went public with the company's first offering on the stock exchange. A hundred shares of stock costing $2,250 dollars that day would have multiplied into 74,360 shares today, worth over $1.8 million on December 31st, 2003, and almost $2.4 million on December 31st, 2004. In 1985 McDonald's was added to the 30-company Dow Jones Industrial Average.

McDonald's has always been a franchising company and has relied on its franchisees to play a major role in its success. McDonald's continually seeks qualified individuals to become franchisees, and has added approximately 100 new franchisees to the system each year for many years. There are an increasing number of restaurant opportunities available in small towns and in areas representative of a diverse customer base. An individual must have a minimum of $175,000 of non-borrowed personal assets to qualify financially.

Now McDonald's is popping up in more non-traditional locations like Amoco and Chevron stations, with full menu offerings and dining room seating, just like you'll find in any traditional McDonald's.

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