Oldest McDonald's restaurant

Oldest McDonald's restaurant

The Oldest McDonald's restaurant is a historic fast food restaurant located in Downey, California. It is the third McDonald's restaurant ever opened and the oldest still in operation. The restaurant was opened on August 18, 1953, by Richard and Maurice McDonald, before they sold the chain to Ray Kroc.

History

The McDonald brothers opened their first restaurant, a drive-in called McDonald's Bar-B-Q, in San Bernardino, California in 1940. In 1948, they closed the restaurant to revamp their business model, reopening as a self-service drive-in restaurant with a simplified menu of nine items, including their soon-to-be-famous hamburgers. This was the first restaurant to use the "Speedee Service System," which is now the basis for all fast-food restaurants.

The Downey restaurant was the third one to open, after the original San Bernardino location and a now-defunct location in Phoenix, Arizona. It was the second restaurant to feature the Golden Arches design, which has since become an iconic symbol of McDonald's.

Architecture

The Downey restaurant is a prime example of the "Googie" architectural style, characterized by futuristic designs and space-age motifs. The building features two 25-foot yellow Golden Arches on the sides, a 60-foot animated neon "Speedee" sign, and a single-story, angular design.

Preservation

The Downey restaurant was nearly demolished in the 1990s, but a campaign by local residents and historic preservationists saved it. In 1994, it was added to the National Trust for Historic Preservation's list of the 11 Most Endangered Historic Places. In 1996, McDonald's Corporation purchased the restaurant and restored it to its original 1950s appearance. It now operates as a working McDonald's and a museum of the chain's history.

See also

• History of McDonald's
• List of the oldest restaurants in the United States
• National Trust for Historic Preservation