The first McDonald's, San Bernadino, CA
I didn't grow up eating McDonald's, but visiting the first McDonald's was really fun. This museum is the site of a barbeque restaurant opened by the McDonald brothers in 1940. In 1948, they changed to a burger and fries place with an emphasis on speedy service. In 1955, Ray Kroc franchised the McDonald's menu and methods, ultimately buying the rights in 1961. The museum is full of toys, historic packaging, signage, uniforms, posters and much more. The toys were donated by families and a picture and the names of the donating family is on display. I thought it was very cute. There are menus, packaging and toys from around the world. Many of the "Happy Meal" toys are almost iconic. There are thousands of toys and items on display. The museum is by donation. There is a small parking lot and lots of the outdoor McDonald's play equipment to see. It is located in a poor section of San Bernardino, but we didn't have any concerns....
