McDonald's is a whole institution, especially when it comes to fast-food. The first restaurant opened in the 1940s in California, USA, as a classic "drive-in" with a tasty menu.
It all started in 1948 at the restaurant of two brothers - Mac and Dick McDonald, in San Bernardino, California. Their philosophy — a limited menu, affordable prices, and a systematic kitchen process, allowed them to serve more customers in less time. However, the company as we know it today was not created by the two brothers but by Ray Kroc.
For a long time, Bulgarians could not even imagine that the chain would be interested in opening a location in the country. That changed in 1994 when the first McDonald's restaurant in Bulgaria was opened in Plovdiv, making the country the 75th in the world to welcome the brand.
This historic event took place on December 12 1994. According to a bulletin from the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) about the grand opening: "The prices of the sandwiches will be determined the night before the opening," said Rositsa Tsekina, the company's marketing director. "The small hamburger will cost around 50 cents," she added, dispelling rumors that the cheapest option would be 120 leva. The restaurant occupies 300 square meters and has 100 seats on the second floor. Customers will be served by 130 young men and women dressed in dark blue pants and skirts, white-and-red striped shirts, and visor hats, provided by the American company.
The standard menu for Plovdiv included hamburgers, cheeseburgers, double hamburgers, double cheeseburgers, the famous Big Mac with a three-layer sesame bun, French fries, strawberry pie, ice cream, milkshakes, juice, Coca-Cola, Fanta, and Sprite. The sandwiches were made with beef and chicken meat, and McDonald's even had its own technology for preparing the buns.”
On the big day, thousands of visitors from all over the country gathered on Plovdiv's Main Street from early morning, waiting in line for over an hour…for cheeseburgers. According to a statement from the restaurant, by 6 PM more than 4000 customers had been served.
In the following years McDonald's became one of the most popular places to visit, especially for families with children who eagerly anticipated the innovative-for-Bulgaria Happy Meal, featuring themed toys from popular animated films.
Celebrating a child's birthday at the restaurant was also a major event—though not a cheap one—for the family of the birthday kid. At that time, it was the only place with animators, an indoor slide, and entertainment options for younger children.
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