McDonald's Restaurant Sign, 1960
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Artifact Overview
In 1948, the McDonald brothers transformed their Southern California drive-in restaurant with their radical new "Speedee Service System"--assembly-line production of a limited menu at drastically reduced prices. Richard McDonald created this sign design in 1952. In 1955, milkshake machine salesman Ray Kroc franchised the McDonald's concept--prompting numerous imitators and ultimately turning America into a "fast food nation."
Brothers and drive-in restaurant owners, Richard and Maurice McDonald, had had enough of loitering teenagers and unreliable cooks and carhops. They had a radical idea -- the Speedee Service System: limited menu, walk-up service, assembly-line food production, and drastically reduced prices. At the end of 1948 they introduced this new system, which revolutionized the fast food industry. Neon signs, like this one, with a single "golden" arch and Speedee, the hamburger-headed chef logo, flashed in front of the early McDonald's franchises. This sign lit up the McDonald's franchise located in Madison Heights, Michigan.
Artifact Details
Artifact
Advertising sign
Date Made
1960
Location
at Henry Ford Museum in Driving America
Object ID
86.137.1
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ronald Brodberg and Daniel Shimel.
Material
Metal
Steel (Alloy)
Glass (Material)
Neon
Color
Red
White (Color)
Yellow (Color)
Green
Dimensions
Height: 26 ft
Width: 20 ft
Length: 3 ft
Inscriptions
Across center of sign: LICENSEE OF MCDONALD'S / SPEEDEE SERVICE SYSTEM ~ / HAMBURGERS / OVER __ MILLION SOLD
On placard held by cook: 15¢
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