Franchise History
The McDonald brothers began franchising their successful restaurant chain in 1953, beginning in Phoenix, Arizona with Neil Fox. The brothers' goal was to make one million dollars before they were fifty. At first, they only franchised the system, rather than the name and atmosphere of their restaurant. It has been said that, when Richard went to check on Fox, he was shocked to see an exact replica of his San Bernardino store, right down to the name "McDonald's". When he asked Fox why he had kept the same design and name, rather than calling the restaurant "Fox's," Fox said "Why change it? It's great as it is". From then on, the brothers started franchising the entire concept.
Franchised McDonald's Restaurants were built to a standard design, created by Fontana, California architect Stanley Clark Meston and featuring Richard's suggestion of the Golden Arches. In the early days, there were two arches – one on each side of the building. The arches were lined with pink neon that flashed sequentially and, when seen at an angle, formed the letter "M" for McDonald's.
The second franchised restaurant was opened at 10207 Lakewood Blvd. at Florence Ave. in Downey, California (at 33°56′50″N 118°07′06″W / 33.9471°N 118.1182°W / 33.9471; -118.1182), the same year. As of 2012, the Downey restaurant remains the oldest operating McDonald's franchise . Additional franchises were granted for stores in Azusa, Pomona and Alhambra, California, in 1954.
Read more about this topic: Richard And Maurice Mc Donald
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