It started in 1948 with two brothers, Richard and Maurice McDonald. They opened a burger restaurant with a simple menu of burgers, fries, soft drinks, shakes and apple pie. It was a self-serve business and the brothers made sure it was quick and efficient by planning and remodeling the kitchen like an assembly line. The look of the McDonald's brand is something that almost everyone recognizes and it comes from the design that the two brothers adopted in 1952. Having achieved good feedback and visibility with the red and white colors and the arched yellow sheet metal of 25 feet, they decided to stick with that. Later that year, they began expanding their fast food business by opening another restaurant in Arizona. In 1954, Ray Kroc, a fast-food machine salesman, thought the McDonald's recipe was a way to succeed and he suggested the brothers franchise their restaurants in other states, but the brothers had doubts. Ray suggested taking responsibility for starting new franchises elsewhere. With the rights to create McDonald's restaurants, he established his first franchisee outside of Chicago and slowly expanded to other states. By 1959, there were 68 new McDonald's restaurants, bringing the total to 102 locations. The development of automobile use contributed greatly to McDonald's achievements. Success only continued because of the company's clever marketing skills and ability to meet customer demand. In 1961, Kroc paid the McDonald brothers $2.7 million for the restaurant business and sought to make McDonald's the first fast food chain. McDonald's continued its enormous growth with Americans who were always on the go, and fast service became a priority. McDonald Corporation has made its way...... middle of paper .......com. Np, and Web. April 10, 2014. “How Does McDonald’s Participate in Monopolistic Competition?” » McDonald's. Np, and Web. April 10, 2014. "Quote from McDonald's Corp (MCD) | Reuters.com." Reuters. Thomson Reuters, nd Web. April 10, 2014. .Oches, Sam. "What's going on at McDonald's?" McDonald's sales difficulties show increased competition in fast food. Np, December 1, 2013. Web. April 10, 2014. "Stock Share :: AboutMcDonalds.com." Stock Split :: About McDonalds.com. Np, and Web. April 10. 2014. .