It all started in 1948 with two brothers, Richard and Maurice McDonald. They opened a burger joint with a simple menu of burgers, fries, drinks, shakes and apple pie. It was a self-service business and the brothers made sure it was fast and efficient by designing and building the kitchen like an assembly line. The distinctive look of McDonald's is something that almost all people recognize and this comes from the design that the two brothers adopted in 1952. Getting good feedback and visibility with the red and white colors and the 25 foot arched yellow sheet metal, they decided to stick to that. That same year, they began to expand their fast food business by opening another restaurant in Arizona. In 1954, Ray Kroc, a fast food machine salesman, believed that McDonald's recipe was a way to achieve success and proposed that the brothers franchise their restaurants in other states, but the brothers were doubtful. Ray suggested taking responsibility for starting the new franchises elsewhere. With the right to open McDonald's restaurants, he established his first franchise outside Chicago and slowly expanded into other states. By 1959 there were 68 new McDonald's restaurants, bringing the total to 102 locations. The development in the use of the automobile contributed greatly to the success of McDonald's. The success has only continued due to the company's smart marketing skills and ability to meet customer demand. In 1961 Kroc paid the McDonald brothers $2.7 million to make the restaurant business his own and sought to make McDonald's the number one fast food chain. McDonald's tremendous growth continued as Americans were on the go and fast service became a priority. McDonald Corporation has made its way... middle of paper.......com. Np, nd Web. April 10, 2014. “How Does McDonald's Compete in a Monopolistic Competition?” McDonald's. Np, nd Web. 10 April 2014. "McDonald's Corp (MCD) Quote | Reuters.com." Reuters. Thomson Reuters and Web. 10 April 2014. .Oches, Sam. "What's going on at McDonald's?" McDonald's sales difficulties show increased competition in fast food outlets. Np, 01 December 2013. Web. 10 April 2014. "Stock Split :: AboutMcDonalds.com." Stock Split :: AboutMcDonalds.com. Np, nd Web. April 10. 2014. .