20 Surprising Facts About McDonald’s 

McDonald’s has been in existence for many decades. Such a company will surely have many interesting facts to explore. As a hardcore fan of McDonald’s, you may want to know some notable, past, and present facts about the company. That is why we’ve helped you compile the top 20 surprising facts about McDonald’s. With these amazing facts in this article, you get to learn great and whoa things about McDonald’s. 

  1. McDonald’s feeds 68 Million People Worldwide Daily

McDonald’s is the leading fast food company in the world, with restaurants in more than 100 countries. The company operates franchises that give local business owners in different countries the right to operate a McDonald’s restaurant. This has helped the company to have many restaurants in many countries, thereby increasing the number of people they feed daily. At McDonald’s worldwide, up to 68M people are fed daily 

  1. McDonald’s World Famous Toy Supplier 

McDonald’s created the Happy Meal menu back in June 1979. The menu has since then become very popular among parents with young children. The Happy Meal menu was created with children in mind.  McDonald’s Happy Meal items come with children’s toys. The menu currently features three kinds of children-related meals with drinks and toys. This has made McDonald’s one of the world’s largest suppliers of children’s toys. 

  1. The Busiest McDonald’s Restaurants Are In The US 

Almost all McDonald’s restaurants in US cities are always busy. Some of these restaurants even run a 24-hour service. Such that even if you need to get anything at midnight, the restaurant is always available. The busiest McDonald’s restaurant in the US is located in New York City. 

  1. McDonald Brothers Simplify Their Menu in 1948

When the McDonald brothers first started the company in 1940, they offered all kinds of fast food. The menu was ambiguous, and running the kitchen was stressful for them. Despite that, they still managed the restaurant with a wide menu for eight years. During these eight years, the McDonald brothers probably took note of the fastest-selling products on the wide menu. 

In 1948, the brothers developed a limited menu of chips, pies, drinks, and hamburgers. The hamburgers were delivered swiftly on request because they usually pre-cook them and kept them warm under a heat lamp.

  1. McDonald’s Has More Than 38,000 Restaurants Worldwide 

McDonald’s has more than 13,000 restaurants across the US territory alone. And if we want to consider the number of restaurants worldwide, it is around 38,000 in total. However, ninety-three percent of these restaurants are owned, controlled, and handled by local business owners in each country. 

  1. McDonald’s Second Largest Market Is Japan.

 McDonald’s first largest market is the US, while Japan is the 2nd. McDonald’s has many restaurants in Japan, making McDonald’s the leading fast food chain in the country. McDonald’s restaurants are usually operated by local business owners in each country. This makes it more flexible to tweak the McDonald’s menu in a particular country to suit its people. 

  1. The Smallest McDonald’s Restaurants In The World

The world’s smallest McDonald’s restaurant is located in Sweden. The restaurant is called mini-McDonald or McHives due to its small size. The building looks like a beehive. Its inspiration was obtained as a result of McDonald’s new initiatives to preserve bees. As thin as the mini-McDonald is, it has created a lot of buzz on the internet. F

  1. McDonald’s First Drive-Thru

The first McDonald’s drive-thru was opened in Sierra Vista, Arizona, United States in 1975. The drive-through was created with a menu board, a speaker, a microphone, and sliding glass to attend to customers. The first McDonald’s drive-thru has the Ronald McDonald statue. 

  1. Chicken McNuggets Come In Four Official Shapes 

The popular McNuggets fried chicken comes in four different shapes. A ball, bone, boot, and bell shape. Okay! Check out the shapes when next you order the McNuggets children from McDonald’s. 

  1. World Largest McDonald’s Restaurant

The area of the largest McDonald’s restaurant is 19,000 square feet. The restaurant is a three-story building. This super-large restaurant is located in Orlando, Florida. The restaurants offer 24-hour service and have a welcome sign at the entrance that says “Welcome to Epic McD.” The world’s largest McDonald’s restaurant also features a 30-foot-tall Ronald McDonald statue. 

  1. The Only Capital City In The United States Without McDonald’s Restaurants 

The only capital city in the United States without a McDonald’s restaurant is Montpelier, Vermont. We also noticed that South Dakota and Juneau, Alaska, have only one McDonald’s restaurant each. The reasons for the Absence or scarcity of McDonald’s restaurants in these cities are unknown. 

  1. McDonald’s Offer A Bachelor’s Degree Program

McDonald’s has a training university for its employees to receive educational training in all aspects of restaurant management. After the completion of the program, McDonald’s awarded a bachelor’s degree in hamburgerology. So far, more than 80,000 people have graduated from Hamburger University.

  1. Approximately 7% of USA Potato Are Turned Into McDonald’s Fries

There are more than 13,000 McDonald’s restaurants in the United States. All these restaurants offer the popular McDonald’s fries. French fries are one of the hot-selling products on the McDonald’s US menu. The US world famous fries are made with premium potatoes widely produced in North America. Such as the Russet Burbank and Shepody potatoes. 

  1. French Frie Was Not On The Original McDonald’s Menu 

When the two McDonald’s brothers, Maurice and Richard, created the first menu, they offered diverse kinds of fast food. Even the diverse menu does not have french fries. Eight years later, when the menu was limited to certain products, chips were on it, not french fries. McDonald’s introduced french fries to its menu in 1949 to replace potato chips. 

  1. McDonald’s Have More Restaurants In The USA Than Anywhere Else In The World 

Yes. McDonald’s has 38,000 restaurants worldwide. Out of that number, more than 13,000 locations are in the USA territory. This is largely because McDonald’s is a US company, and all its menus are widely accepted in the country. This thereby makes the US the largest market for McDonald’s fast food.

  1. McDonald’s With Golden Arches

The golden arch has been the lifelong symbol of McDonald’s. The first Golden Arch was opened in Phoenix, Arizona, United States, in March 1953

  1. Approximately 54 Million Apples Are Bought By McDonald’s Yearly 

The apple slices on the McDonald’s menu seem very popular. Plus, apples are the primary ingredient for fruit, and maple oatmeal is one of the top healthy, popular items on the McDonald’s breakfast menu. 

  1. McDonald’s Is Banned In Some Countries 

As popular as the McDonald’s restaurant, it is banned in some countries. Countries such as Bermuda, Montenegro, Macedonia, and Kazakhstan prohibit McDonald’s restaurants within their territory. 

  1. McDonald’s In Four African Countries 

Among the 54 countries found in Africa, only 4 countries have McDonald’s restaurants. These African countries include Mauritania, Morocco, South Africa and Egypt. Out of thirty-eight thousand McDonald’s restaurants worldwide, less than 400 are in Africa. 

  1. Only Seven Items Contain No Sugar On McDonald’s Menu

Yes. According to the McDonald’s website, only seven items on its menu have no sugar. Many of the items on the McDonald’s menu have “added sugar” among their nutritional information. You can find all the nutritional information of each McDonald’s item on its website.