My Dad met the McDonald brothers when they owned a little
8-stool snack bar across from the 'new' Fox Theatre in Riverside.
He ran searchlights for that location, too.
(Dad also ran the stagelights and searchlights for events at the Fox Theatre.)
Richard "Dick" McDonald and his brother Maurice "Mac" Mc Donald
were co-founders of the most famous hamburger chain in the world.
McDonalds (as we know it) originated in San Bernardino, California in 1948.
The brothers were born in Manchester, New Hampshire,
sons of Irish immigrants. Their father worked in a shoe factory.
The pair moved to California in the 1920's and soon
became owners of a movie theatre in Glendora, California.
They opened a hamburger stand near the Santa Anita Racetrack in 1937.
They expanded to a barbeque restaurant on 14th and 'E' Streets
in San Bernardino in 1940.
After the sale of their businesses in Glendora and Santa Anita, they decided to streamline operation of their San Bernardino location. In 1948, paper plates and plastic utensils replaced china and flatware, table service was eliminated
and the menu trimmed to basics: hamburgers, fries and shakes.
The fast-food industry was born!
McDonald's Trivia
Some details of McDonald brothers' childhood
courtesy of the San Bernardino County Sun
