McDonald’s Corp. is tearing down Ray Kroc’s first restaurant. Sort of.
The Oak Brook, Illinois-based burger giant is razing a replica of what was its founder’s first location, in Des Plaines, Ill. The company is hoping to donate the land to the city, the company said Tuesday.
McDonald’s opened the replica in 1985 on the site of Kroc’s first location, which itself had been torn down.
The replica has been closed to the public for about a decade, and about the most passersby could do since is “peak in the windows,” according to a spokeswoman. The area has also been prone to flooding.
The feasibility of reopening and maintaining the facility ultimately led to the company’s decision to permanently close and raze the facility, McDonald’s said in a statement.
“This property in Des Plaines will always have a special place in our company’s history,” the company said.
Kroc was a milkshake salesman in 1954 when he first visited the McDonald’s brothers’ original location in San Bernardino, Calif., and subsequently agreed to take responsibility for the company’s national franchising efforts. Kroc opened his first location in 1955. Six years later, he bought the rights to the McDonald’s name.
McDonald’s has since gone on to become the largest restaurant chain in the world, with 14,000 locations in the U.S. and 37,000 restaurants worldwide.
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