Some More Chicago Innovations-- Part 9: McDonald's

Ray Kroc didn't invent fast food. He didn't even invent the McDonald's hamburger. He was a salesman of milk shake mixers who saw what the McDonald brothers were doing in California and saw the potential to make it work on a broader scale through rigorous consistency, marketing and franchising. The McDonald's story is almost as well known as the global brand. //// And, the first Ray Kroc McDonald's was in Des Plaines, Illinois, and a rebuilt store from that era is still at the site, but you have to buy your McDonald's across the street. //// --DaCoot