First Original McDonald's Museum, San Bernardino

About First Original McDonald's Museum

The First Original McDonald's Museum occupies the site of the first McDonald's restaurant, opened in 1948 by brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald in San Bernardino, California. Visitors explore the history of the McDonald brothers' fast-food system, which they began franchising in 1953 with a standard design featuring the company's golden arches. The museum documents how businessman Ray Kroc met the McDonald brothers while selling milkshake mixing machines to them. Inspired by their concept's financial potential, Kroc partnered with the brothers and eventually purchased the business, expanding McDonald's into a major corporation while the brothers preferred to keep their operation small. The museum shares similar growth history with Route 66, both developing during the same era. Albert Okura, an avid Route 66 enthusiast who also owns the Juan Pollo restaurant chain and the Route 66 town site of Amboy, preserved this piece of American history for visitors interested in fast-food heritage and mid-century American business innovation.