Applying a fresh American concept, the McDonald brothers, Richard and Maurice, furthered the fast food idea in a small chain of restaurants in San Bernardino during the early 1940s. The original mascot, a man with a hamburger shaped head and topped with a chef's hat, announced their idea of the Speedee Service System. Pedaling milkshake machines, then salesman Ray Kroc happened to come across the golden arches and the McDonald brothers in San Bernardino, California. It didn't take long before Kroc returned to Des Plaines to set up his first franchised McDonalds restaurant.
   Although the McDonald brothers and Ray Kroc held vast differing opinions on aggressive business practices, the McDonald's name survived. Today, McDonald's are one of the world's most familiar fast-food restaurants. With sales well over 20 billion, the chain is spread throughout the world with 31,000 restaurants, serving 58 million customers each day.
   Although the original Des Plaines restaurant building did not survive, a replica museum was built to the old blueprints. The McDonald's Museum featured a familiar red and white tiled exterior and an original shaped pair of golden arches. The original Speedee sign advertised a fifteen cent hamburger. When the Illinois museum was open, antique cars in the parking lot add a little more interest to the McDonald's Number 1 Store Museum. The museum was permanently closed due to flooding and demolished in 2017. Nearby, a modern McDonald's features exhibits from the original restaurant.

     Unfortunately the museum was closed and has been demolished.