Golden Arches logo used in 1993
McDonald's Corporation McDonald's was an American fast-food company founded by the McDonald brothers in 1940 and reopened in 1944 after World War II, but as a hamburger restaurant instead of a hot dog restaurant. The first McDonald's location was in San Bernardino, California. It was initially successful due to its fast service and low prices. In 1955, Ray Kroc, an entrepreneur, joined the brothers and began expanding the business, opening a second location in Phoenix, Arizona, and implementing the golden arches. He also implemented a cleaning model that ensured all locations were as clean as the first. In addition, he bought the business of a small but struggling Wendy's, which was initially successful but disappeared after the acquisition.
1960s-1970s[]
In the following years, McDonald's continued to expand throughout the USA, Canada, Quebec, Mexico, Newfoundland and Labrador, and South America in the mid-60s, where the first location outside of America was opened in Sydney, Australia. Expanding to the rest of the world, it began a rivalry with Burger King and created the mascot Ronald McDonald, who even had his own series, and other characters such as Mayor Burger and the Hamburger Thief, among others. In the 70s, the McDonald's-Burger King rivalry increased and led to a series of advertisements against each other, which were mainly won by McDonald's.
McDonald's vs Wendel Burger[]
In 1984, Wendel Burger was founded in Germany, a fast-food company similar to McDonald's and Burger King. Created by Fritz Wendel in Munich, it gained immense popularity in Europe and worldwide. A rivalry between Wendel and McDonald's was inevitable, sparking a competition to see which was the most consumed. Advertisements disparaged the rival, such as one where Ronald McDonald goes to buy a burger at Wendel, or one where Tiny Alfred, Wendel's mascot, was mistakenly made with horse meat instead of beef—something that was later revealed to be true, as Wendel claimed that the meat was indeed beef, unlike Burger King and McDonald's.
In the following years, Wendel gained popularity in America in the late 80s and early 90s, due to fairer prices and more vegetarian options, which ultimately led to Wendel's success and the eventual closure of McDonald's. Wendel's success eventually caused McDonald's to close many locations, leaving McDonald's with only 125 restaurants worldwide today, of which one is in America, 117 in South America, and the rest in Europe.