Did you know there is a McDonalds which maintains its retro aesthetics to this day, thus being considered the oldest in the world? Located in Downey, California, and opened in 1953, this unit preserves the vintage decor since its opening.
As the fourth McDonald's location to be built globally, it has been operated out of the chain's main franchise for decades. This fact allowed it to maintain its original design.
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According to the Daily Mail, the staff who work there still wear uniforms from the 1950s and wear paper hats, maintaining a nostalgic atmosphere.
All the same
The external facade of the place displays the old McDonald's sign, with a blue background and a diagonal line cutting through the iconic golden arches.
In addition, the store has the brand's original mascot, Speedee, a cartoon chef with a hamburger for a head.
In the same year of opening, Roger Williams and Burdette Landon bought the rights to the restaurant directly from the founding brothers of McDonald's, Richard and Maurice McDonald. In this way, they were able to manage the establishment without following the guidelines of the matrix.
(Image: McDonald’s/disclosure)
Downey's McDonald's offers original recipe hamburgers, cheeseburgers, fries and milkshakes. In addition, it serves a delicious fried apple pie, an item not so common in other McDonald's in the United States.
In 1994, an earthquake caused significant damage to the site, leading the owners to consider permanent closure due to high restoration costs.
However, the city council refused to issue a demolition permit, and the store was placed on a list of historic sites preservation. This resulted in the obligation of administrators to carry out the restoration of the establishment.
The McDonald's brothers sold their share in the company in the 1960s to Ray Kroc, a franchisee who became the chain's commercial representative.
It was Kroc who led the transformation of the brand into a successful global chain. He drew on his own store in Des Plaines, Illinois and his entrepreneurial vision of business through franchising.
Currently, McDonald's is one of the largest corporations in the world, owned by several institutional investors and funds, including large American banks among them.