McDONALD'S 

1940 年 5 月 15 日 理查德和莫里斯（迪克和麥克）麥當勞在加利福尼亞州聖貝納迪諾開設了第一家麥當勞餐廳。

May 15th, 1940: Richard and Maurice ("Dick" and "Mac") McDonald open the first McDonald’s restaurant in San Bernadino, CA.

1948 - Speedee Service System

1948年，兄弟倆決定大刀闊斧改革，暫停營業三個月重新規劃營運模式，推出劃時代的「Speedee Service System」。新制度導入櫃台自助點餐、標準化製作流程與精簡菜單，主打漢堡、起司漢堡、薯條與奶昔等品項，不僅有效縮短出餐時間，也成功降低售價。這套高效率模式，後來成為全球「快餐文化」的重要雛形，徹底改變現代人的飲食與消費習慣。

IN 1948, THE BROTHERS DECIDED TO MAKE SWEEPING REFORMS. THEY TEMPORARILY CLOSED FOR THREE MONTHS TO OVERHAUL THEIR BUSINESS MODEL, INTRODUCING THE REVOLUTIONARY "SPEEDEE SERVICE SYSTEM." THE NEW SYSTEM IMPLEMENTED COUNTER SELF-SERVICE, STANDARDIZED PREPARATION PROCESSES, AND A STREAMLINED MENU FOCUSING ON HAMBURGERS, CHEESEBURGERS, FRENCH FRIES, AND MILKSHAKES. THIS NOT ONLY EFFECTIVELY REDUCED SERVING TIMES BUT ALSO SUCCESSFULLY LOWERED PRICES. THIS HIGH-EFFICIENCY MODEL LATER BECAME AN IMPORTANT PROTOTYPE FOR GLOBAL "FAST FOOD CULTURE," THOROUGHLY TRANSFORMING MODERN DINING AND CONSUMER HABITS.

1955 - McDonald's System Inc.

1955年4月15日 行政總裁雷·克羅克（Ray Kroc）在伊利諾州德斯普蘭斯（Des Plains）成立特許經營公司—麥當勞系統公司（McDonald's System Inc.），以加盟經銷權在李街（Lee Street）開設首個麥當勞餐廳，是麥當勞第九分店。

ON APRIL 15, 1955, CEO RAY KROC ESTABLISHED A FRANCHISE COMPANY—MCDONALD'S SYSTEM INC.—IN DES PLAINES, ILLINOIS. OPERATING UNDER A FRANCHISE LICENSE, HE OPENED THE FIRST MCDONALD'S RESTAURANT ON LEE STREET, WHICH WAS THE NINTH MCDONALD'S LOCATION OVERALL.

1963 - Ronald McDonald 小丑起源

1963年威拉德在地方廣告中創造了原始版的 Ronald McDonald。但當時的造型非常簡單，頭上戴著一個麥當勞紙杯當帽子，鼻子上還套著一個外帶食物盒，看起來跟現在的形象差別很大。當麥當勞決定將這個角色推向全美、登上紐約梅西感恩節大遊行時，總部意識到原本的「紙杯服裝」太過粗糙。於是他們重金聘請了當時在「玲玲馬戲團（Ringling Bros. Circus）」極受歡迎的明星小丑麥克·波拉科夫。

In 1963, Willard Scott created the original version of Ronald McDonald for a local commercial. However, the design at the time was extremely simplistic, with a McDonald’s paper cup worn as a hat and a takeout food box placed over his nose, looking vastly different from his modern image. When McDonald's decided to introduce this character nationwide and have him appear in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York, corporate headquarters realized the original "paper cup costume" was far too unpolished. Consequently, they invested heavily to hire Michael Polakovs, a star clown who was immensely popular at the Ringling Bros. Circus at the time.

1971 - 麥當勞樂園

1971年麥當勞總部與廣告公司合作，正式在電視廣告中推出了「麥當勞樂園」這個虛構世界，並一口氣帶出了漢堡神偷、奶昔大哥（大嘴）、芝士漢堡市長和大麥克警長等第一批核心 IP 角色。1970 年代中後期隨著電視廣告爆紅，麥當勞開始將這些 IP 從螢幕搬進現實，在全美各分店大舉興建麥當勞樂園遊樂區McDonaldland PlayPlace。

In 1971, McDonald's corporate headquarters partnered with an advertising agency to officially launch the fictional world of "McDonaldland" through television commercials, introducing the first wave of core IP characters including the Hamburglar, Grimace, Mayor McCheese, and Officer Big Mac. In the mid-to-late 1970s, as the TV commercials exploded in popularity, McDonald's began bringing these IPs from the screen to reality, actively building "McDonaldland PlayPlaces" across branches throughout the United States.

1976 - 氣球馬拉松

1976年，麥當勞創始人雷·克羅克與創意氣球製造公司創始人朱爾斯·波拉克合作，開發一款以羅納德·麥當勞為原型的充氣氣球裝置。克羅克先生說這讓他想起了當年銷售多功能攪拌機的日子。麥當勞叔叔叔充氣氣球製造是一款極具吸引力的宣傳工具，可在6秒內完成充氣、封口和繫繩，製作出印有麥當勞叔叔標誌的廣告氣球。這款造型獨特的乙烯基頭部和兩件式乙烯基服裝由蘇西·古德曼-波拉克設計。朱爾斯·波拉克將「氣球馬拉松」的概念引入了麥當勞，該公司為傑瑞·劉易斯和孩子們舉辦了一場全國性的「為肌肉萎縮症籌款的氣球」募捐活動，在 1977 年勞動節電視募捐活動中籌集了 100 萬美元。

In 1976, McDonald's founder Ray Kroc partnered with Jules Pollack, founder of Creative Balloons Mfg. Inc., to develop an inflatable balloon device based on the character Ronald McDonald. Mr. Kroc remarked that this project reminded him of his early days selling multi-mixers. The Ronald McDonald Inflatable Balloon Maker served as a highly attractive promotional tool, capable of inflating, sealing, and stringing a balloon featuring the Ronald McDonald logo in just six seconds. This uniquely styled vinyl head and two-piece vinyl costume were designed by Susie Goodman-Pollack. Jules Pollack introduced the "Balloon-A-Thon" concept to McDonald's, and the company went on to host a nationwide "Balloons for Muscular Dystrophy" fundraising campaign for Jerry Lewis and the children. This event successfully raised $1 million during the 1977 Labor Day Telethon.