全球最大的连锁速食业者麦当劳(McDonald's)，早已深入世界各地，成为许多人生活中不可或缺的一部分。72年前(西元1940年)，当时的麦当劳刚刚开业，只是一个在加州圣伯纳帝诺(San Bernardino)卖烤肉与汉堡的小摊贩，一个牛肉汉堡只卖15美分(以现在币值约台币4.5元)。

一批珍贵的照片曝光，可以让现代人看看，1940年刚创业的麦当劳，是个什么样的餐厅，十分有趣。现在这家创始店，已经成为麦当劳博物馆。

Quaint: Before the Golden Arches set up shop in Anytown, U.S.A. and invaded lands afar, McDonald's was just a corner BBQ joint serving up burgers for 15 cents



Where it all began: Retro photos of the first McDonald's in San Bernardino, California from 1940 shows the early days of the fast food joint that was a gathering place for Southern Californians looking for the simple All-American fare

Brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald came up with the idea for a barbecue spot, they named 'The Airdrome,' and originally set up shop near the airport in Monrovia, California in 1937.



If you feed them, they will come: As astute businessmen, the McDonald brothers realized that of all their menu offerings, the most popular choices with customers was their burgers, french fries, milkshakes and apple pie



Popular: Southern Californians flocked to the burger joint to get a fast-food fix

So, the men decided to pare down their offerings and their menu was slimmed down to only include those staples.



Where it all began: The McDonalds devised a more efficient modus operandi for their kitchen, setting up an assembly line to turn out their burgers more quickly - dubbed the 'Speedee Service System'



The price is right: The success of the California restaurant caught the attention of businessman Ray Kroc, who in the 1950s joined the brothers to develop the franchise arm of the business



The mastermind: Ray Kroc (pictured in May 1977) eventually purchased the company from the McDonalds and took the helm at the fast food chain to turn it into the multibillion dollar empire that it is today