General presentation of McDonald's

The McDonald's Company is much older than you may think as it was actually founded in 1950 by an American businessman, Ray Croc. It started as a simple franchise but Mr. Kroc quickly decided to buy the rights to the main company from the McDonald brothers. That was the humble beginnings of McDonald's, the largest international fast food chain.
Although McDonald's started in the United States it became an international chain at the beginning of the 70s. One interesting point, after the United States, France is actually the country where McDonald's makes its biggest profits with no less than 1,100 franchised restaurants including a huge and well known restaurant on the famous Champs Elysees, a true symbol of McDonald's success in the country famous for its culinary reputation.
The McDonalds Corporation is of course the leader in the fast-food industry, both in its home country, the United States, but also throughout the world, as its business expands throughout Europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa.
It is interesting to note that only 67.2% of McDonalds restaurants are directly managed by the group, while the rest are franchises with 3,589 affiliates.
McDonald's shares are quoted on the NYSE (New York Stock Exchange) and are taken into account in the calculations of the major American Index, the Dow Jones.
Photo credits: Mike Mozart