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McDonald’s is the best known fast food restaurant in the world. The chain with which its founder Ray Kroc revolutionized the way in which millions of people eat and produce fast food is represented by a whole system of shared codes that represent it: from the ‘Happy Meals’ to the ‘Big Macs’ served in its more than 3,6000 establishments erected under different architectural perspectives.
However, beyond all this narrative visible in more than 100 countries, present in the collective imagination, there precedes and/or exists a whole series of things that have also marked the history of McDonald’s. From its origins in 1954 in a small hamburger restaurant in California to the secret formula of its Coca-Cola.
The world’s largest McDonald’s is in Orlando and has an aquarium and an arcade.
Florida is home to the world’s largest McDonald’s, located near Universal Orlando Resort. And it stands out not only for its magnitude, but also for being open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. But its appeal transcends into another dimension with an arcade and an aquarium that just stimulate the restaurant’s dining experience.
Onion Nuggets existed before chicken nuggets did
The ‘onion nuggets’ were implemented on the restaurant’s menu in 1975, but didn’t last long. Their low demand would lead to these nugget-shaped onion rings being replaced with chicken nuggets, in the words of Mike Billington, McDonald’s senior archivist who would drive that stellar change.
The Big Mac was not always called Big Mac
When it was launched in 1967, the burger was called Aristocrat. Before it was called Big Mac, it was known as Blue Ribbon Burger.
In the U.S. there are more McDonald’s than hospitals and there is only one in the world that does not have the golden arches.
The McDonald’s universe in the U.S. comprises more than 14,000 establishments, while there are just over 10,000 hospitals. In addition, within this constellation, one in particular stands out in Sedona (Arizona), which has a great tourist attraction. It is the only one in the world that does not have the Golden Arches.
This restaurant, which opened its doors in 1993, actually has a unique turquoise M, which dazzles over an austere brown building with a rugged appearance. The reason for its chromatic identity? When planning began for the McDonald’s branch, local councilors feared that the golden M, recognizable around the world, would detract from the beauty of the area, which is surrounded by a desert landscape.
Sedona’s laws prohibit, in this regard, buildings from encroaching on the natural landscape of the area, so the town opted for the big blue M.
Why does your Coke taste different?
If you’ve ever wondered why McDonald’s Coke tastes so good and is so addictive the answer is this. In most places, Coca-Cola syrup comes in plastic bags, but not at McDonald’s. Instead, it comes in stainless steel tubs, which protect it from light, heat and oxygen, making that storage makes its flavor more intense and keeps it unchanged. The second secret ingredient is the water used. The third is the proportion of syrup and water and, finally, the straw.
McDonald’s french fries recipe has evolved over time.
McDonald’s fries are also part of the successful formula it follows. Although they have not always been made in the same way. The recipe has changed over time. Before 1990 they were fried in beef fat, but, for health reasons, the chain started using vegetable oil. Of course, people complained that the fries didn’t taste the same, so they changed the frying oil to contain beef flavor. The flavoring contains hydrolyzed wheat and milk, so McDonald’s fries are not vegan or gluten-free.
McNuggets come in four forms
McDonald’s would reveal that its chicken McNuggets have four different shapes, breaking the illusion that the shapes were simply random. Each is shaped like a boot, ball, bone or bell – the reason? To ensure uniform cooking times for food safety in all its restaurants, the company wrote on its Q&A page.
But the different shapes also have a playful undertone designed for children. ‘Our Chicken McNuggets are uniquely shaped for kids and kids at heart: it’s more fun to dip them that way!’
McDonald’s has nine schools
Si tu verdadera pasión es McDonald’s, y quieres aprenderlo todo sobre ello, deberías saber que su imperio dispone de nueve universidades de la hamburguesa repartidas por todo el mundo. Se tratan de centros de formación donde los estudiantes aprenden los entresijos del trabajo en McDonald’s con el fin de graduarse en ‘Hamburguesología’.
McDonald’s is one of the largest toy distributors in the world
McDonald’s sells 5,000 Happy Meals a minute. And with a toy in every one, it’s no wonder it’s one of the world’s largest toy distributors. That’s 1.5 billion toys a year worldwide.
‘I think in the beginning, the flying hamburger was very popular,’ expresses Mike Billington. ‘We also had puppets that were for McDonaldland characters.’ There have also been a lot of Collector’s Meals, which include collectibles like the Beanie Babies from the late 1990s.
