Love them or hate them, no one can deny that McDonalds have left one of the biggest cultural impacts on global society in the 80 years.
Not only cultural, but many say economic, environmental and even on our health. This week marks the 50th anniversary of the famous Golden Arches appearing in the UK, and controversially, they are giving away free doughnuts to celebrate. So we take a brief look at the history of the McD s phenomena.
Brainchild of brothers Maurice (“Mac”) and Richard McDonald in San Bernardino, California. They had original started in 1940 with a simple drive-thru, and later in July 1954 registered their booming business as a US corporation. They first began their colonisation of Europe in 1971 in the Dutch city of Zaandam, closely followed by Munich in West Germany, Paris in 1972 and into the UK in July 1974.
Easily recognisable, refuelling option
McD s provided a quick, easily recognisable, refuelling option for those looking for an unadventurous eat-out choice for millions globally. They ushered in a food revolution no matter what cultural feet they stepped on. Older Japanese people were horrified when 50 years ago the first American fast food restaurant was opened in Ginza. Culturally speaking, then, eating standing up was considered tantamount to a cardinal sin.
Having always been shrewd and domineering in the marketing world, this month they launched the Dabiz line of burgers designed by the 3-Michelin-starred chef Dabiz Muñoz. Last year Muñoz caused a stir in The Av Castellana in Madrid when he opened his own food truck selling burgers. He brought the iconic avenue to a standstill with queues for his burgers around the block.
Courting controversy
The Golden Arches have always courted controversy. 20 years ago saw the premiere of late film maker, Morgan Spurlock s documented account of eating nothing but McDonald s for a month. In the film Super Size Me , in spite of doctors reassurances that the experiment would have little effect on Spurlock s health, he went on to suffer wide ranging consequences including heart palpitations, liver damage and depression.
In one of the most publicised food related lawsuits in history, Liebeck v. McDonald s, 79-year-old Stella Liebeck sued McD s when she spilled her take away coffee seriously scalding her leg. In 1994, Liebeck was awarded $2.7 million dollars even though she had only sought $10,000 to cover her medical bill.
A force for good or societal scourge?
But, love them or hate them, no one can deny McDonald s their place in the history books for their lasting impact on society. Weighing their history up, have McD s been a force for good in the world, uniting divided cultures, providing a quick, easy and largely economical solution to those hunger pangs? Or have they been a scourge on our health and environment?
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