1970s
Our research has not taken us back this far yet. Please contact us with any tips.
History
The company launched its highly successful "You deserve a break today" advertising campaign in 1970. By 1972 McDonald's had 2,000 restaurants and $1 billion in annual sales.
McDonald's also began to establish high-profile charities. The company opened the first Ronald McDonald House in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1974. Ronald McDonald Houses provide temporary housing near hospitals for the families of seriously ill children. Today, Ronald McDonald House Charities operate more than 170 Ronald McDonald Houses in 32 countries.
Although McDonald's remained dedicated to its established format, the company introduced a number of new products and services in the 1970s and 1980s. Many of these innovations proved startlingly successful. McDonald's began serving breakfast in 1973. By the late 1980s, one-fourth of Americans who ate breakfast away from home did so at McDonald's. In 1975 McDonald's introduced drive-through window service, enabling motorists to make purchases without leaving their cars. By the mid-1990s, drive-through business accounted for about half of all McDonald's sales in the United States. [CONTINUE]
"McDonald's Corporation," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2007
