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Into History.

com. It's May 15, 1940 in San Bernardino, California, where 31-year-old Richard and 37-year-old

Maurice McDonald are excited to open their brand-new restaurant, McDonald's Barbecue. It's not an especially hot day, but the brothers, better known as Mac and Dick, are

sweating as they pace anxiously in their empty parking lot. They have just

minutes until their drive-up restaurant is set to open for the very first time

Unable to stand around waiting any longer Dick hurries back into the kitchen

Visying himself double then triple checking that they have everything they need clean

plates napkins cutlery and of course the meat.

Then he takes a trip back out to the barbecue pit which is stocked with hickory chips imported from Arkansas.

Satisfied that everything is as it should be, Dick returns to the parking lot where the

tantalizing smell of slow cooking meats already fills the air. He grabs his brother Mac and together they

brief their employees one final time to make sure everyone knows exactly what to do when

customers arrive. This barbecue joint isn't like most others. There's nowhere for

customers to sit and eat their food, save for a few stools at the counter.

Instead, hungry visitors are encouraged to drive up, then stay in in their car and wait for a McDonald's

employee to come to them. These car hops, young women in short skirts and majorette

boots, will take their orders then return with the food once it's ready.

It's not a completely revolutionary idea, but it's new enough for San Bernardino

that the brothers are anxious to ensure that everything goes off without a hitch.

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