Love it or hate it, McDonald’s is one of the most successful fast-food chains in the world and it’s not going anywhere anytime soon. Known for its ubiquitous golden arches and convenient, greasy fare, McDonald’s restaurants can be found in virtually every city and town in the United States, and in almost every country in the world. So it’s practically inevitable that all kinds of rumors get spread about the burger juggernaut that people love — and love to hate. From pink slime to cow eyeballs to indestructible food, here are 12 false facts about McDonald’s that you always thought were true.
Ray Kroc Started McDonald’s
Ray Kroc is often referred to as the founder of McDonald’s. And while he is responsible for its proliferation and unparalleled success, he’s actually not the person who came up with the original concept. Rather, that credit belongs to Richard “Dick” and Maurice “Mac” McDonald, two brothers from New Hampshire who opened a hamburger restaurant in 1940. An innovative pair, they streamlined their restaurant to serve burgers, shakes, and fries to customers in a fast, friendly manner for an inexpensive price with their “Speedee Service System.” By 1954, they had built an extremely successful operation, as well as 21 franchises.
It was then that Ray Kroc, a milk shake mixer salesman, entered the picture. Impressed by their business model, and after opening a McDonald’s franchise of his own, Kroc decided he wanted to purchase their entire franchise operation in 1961. The brothers, who were reluctant to get into the franchise business in the first place, sold him the business name and all, for $2.7 million. And over the years, Kroc turned it into the $100+ billion dollar fast-food empire that it is today, one franchise at a time.
The First McDonald’s Is Located In Des Plaines, Illinios
If you ever find yourself in Des Plaines, Ill., you’ll have the opportunity to visit the McDonald’s #1 Store Museum, which according to Ray Kroc was the first-ever McDonald’s restaurant. However, there’s more to the story here, as there often is when it comes to McDonald’s history. While it was the flagship franchise that Ray Kroc opened, it’s not the first or even the second restaurant location — it’s actually quite far down the list as the McDonald’s brothers already had 21 franchises before Kroc even entered the picture.
Furthermore, the McDonald’s building in Des Plains isn’t even the original building; it’s a replica of the restaurant that was torn down, but rebuilt once the company realized they needed to preserve their history. So where is the original, first restaurant located? It’s in San Bernardino, CA, where the McDonald’s brothers started their hamburger business back in 1940, years before Ray Kroc bought them out.
So while this was Ray Kroc’s first franchise, it was most certainly not the first McDonald’s.
The Hot Coffee Lawsuit Awarded The Plaintiff Over A Million Dollars
Ask most people what they know about the “hot coffee lawsuit” against McDonald’s, and they’ll say that a woman spilled hot coffee on herself while driving, and successfully sued for over a million dollars. Some folks might even suggest that the woman was just trying to get easy money, or that she was a scammer.
But the reality is actually quite different. Stella Liebeck, the plaintiff in Liebeck vs. McDonald’s Restaurants, was not driving, nor was she a scammer. She was sitting in the passenger seat of a stopped car when she attempted to remove the lid off of a cup of coffee she had just ordered. The cup slipped, spilling scalding coffee (around 190 degrees Fahrenheit!) all over her, causing third-degree burns on her lap, buttocks, and genital area. Lieback was hospitalized for eight days, during which she had skin grafts and debridement treatments. She was permanently disfigured as a result of the accident.
Initially she only asked McDonald’s for $90,000, but McDonald’s countered with a paltry $800, so Liebeck rightfully sued. In the end, she was awarded an undisclosed amount (under $600,000) for her pain and suffering.
McDonald’s Fries Are Only Made Of Potatoes
McDonald’s sells approximately nine million pounds of French fries every day at its locations all over the world. But contrary to popular belief, McDonald’s fries are not a one-ingredient wonder. And while spuds are the main ingredient, there are actually a total of 19 ingredients in their fries, including vegetable oil (comprised of canola, corn, soybean, and hydrogenated soybean oils, as well as milk- and wheat-derived natural beef flavoring), dextrose (for that golden, yellow color), sodium acid pyrophosphate (to prevent color changes when frozen), citric acid (for freshness), dimethylpolysiloxane (to reduce foaming), and salt (for flavor).
McDonald’s Employees Make $45K A Year In Denmark
Fast food restaurants like McDonald’s have long been criticized for underpaying their workers, often starting employees at minimum wage. So in 2015, fast food workers around the country went on strike, demanding that the minimum wage be raised to $15 per hour.
And around that time, memes began to pop up, stating that McDonald’s workers in Denmark all make $45,000 per year, in support of the protesters. And while they are unionized, and certainly paid better than most American workers (about $21 per hour), not all McDonald’s workers in Denmark make that amount of money. This is because the majority of McDonald’s workers in Denmark work part-time. So while full-time workers do make $45K, the majority of workers do not.
McDonald’s Treats Its Beef With Ammonia
McDonald’s has been plagued with a variety of rumors about their food over the years, specifically about their meats and animal products. And the rumor that McDonald’s treats the beef it uses with ammonia, specifically because it uses select lean beef trimmings, is just that: a rumor. And while McDonald’s did use select lean beef trimmings prior to 2011, they no longer do. As per their website, the burgers from Micky D’s are 100 percent beef and not treated with any preservatives. The only treatment the beef is subjected to is being ground, shaped, and frozen for distribution; no chemicals are used.
Chicken McNuggets Are Made Of Pink Slime
You’ve seen it: the images of what you think is strawberry ice cream at first, but instead it’s “pink slime.” And this pink slime, according to the rumors that flew around on the internet, is the base ingredient for Chicken McNuggets. Much like the rumor that beef is treated with ammonia, the scare logic is the same here.
In spite of the image, which is disturbing and quite compelling, McDonald’s does not use “pink slime” in anything. A statement on their website notes that, “Let’s set the record straight: this image in connection with McDonald’s is a myth. In fact, we don’t know where it came from, but it’s not our food.” So until anyone proves otherwise, the “pink slime” rumor is completely false.
Dubious Meat And Fillers
Another set of rumors suggest that McDonald’s has used a variety of questionable meat and fillers in their food. In one case, a satire article that said both human and horse meat were found in McDonald’s meat factories in Oklahoma (and elsewhere) was taken at face value by some gullible folks. They’ve also long been plagued by the rumor that they use worms as filler, which Ray Kroc dismissed, noting that worms are more expensive than beef to source. But the rumors persist, as evidenced by the hits you get on a Google search. They’ve even been accused of using cow eyeballs in their burgers, and “mutant laboratory meat,” too.
But none of these accusations are true. Again, McDonald’s burgers are made of 100 percent beef with no fillers, extenders, or preservatives.
No One Outside Of The Company Knows What Is In The secret Big Mac Sauce
The Big Mac, McDonald’s signature burger, like many of McDonald’s best-selling menu items, was invented by a franchisee; Jim Delligatti came up with the idea 50 years ago. Comprised of “two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame-seed bun,” the iconic burger is the the world’s best-selling sandwich — approximately 550 million are sold and eaten every year.
The so-called special sauce has long been rumored to have a secret recipe that only folks in the company know about. But that’s not the case — in fact, you can find the ingredients for the special sauce on their website. And there are plenty of copy-cat recipes out there, too, should you want to make it at home.
McDonald’s Food Doesn’t Decompose
Over the years there have been quite a few viral posts from folks who have allegedly purchased a McDonald’s meal, then preserved it for years after purchase. The result has been that these meals don’t appear decompose or amass mold, feeding the myth that McDonald’s food is so pumped full of preservatives and additives, or simply just not food at all, that it doesn’t decay in the manner that it should.
But the reality is the reason these foods don’t rot isn’t because they are unhealthy, but because of the controlled conditions in which they were stored, photographed, and documented. In fact, any food preserved or stored without moisture will wither and dry up, subsequently not showing regular signs of decomposition. And that’s the case with each of these preserved meals — they simply dried up.
Molten Copper Rolls Off Of McDonald’s Burgers Because It’s Indestructible
Upon first view, this video had everyone reeling.
Why would food, when covered in molten, scalding metal, deflect it? How is this not a bad thing? The internet certainly had reactions, puzzled as to why food could defy liquid metal. And the takeaway was that McDonald’s burgers, since they clearly are indestructible, must in turn be indigestible.
But this phenomenon is not unique to food prepared by McDonald’s; the same thing happens when you pour molten copper over any food. This is because of the Leidenfrost effect, which is defined as “a phenomenon in which a liquid, in near contact with a mass significantly hotter than the liquid’s boiling point, produces an insulating vapor layer keeping that liquid from boiling rapidly.” In essence, the water in the Big Mac boiled the second the molten copper hit it, and that steam insulated the burger from the hot metal.
You can see molten copper poured on a host of other objects here.
McDonald’s Had A Suggestive Image On Their Holiday Cups
Back in December of 2016, McDonald’s debuted some new, seasonal cups to commemorate the holiday season. They looked innocent enough, featuring a pair of mittens on a festive, holiday-themed background. However, a viral Tweet emerged featuring a slightly doctored version of the cups, making the image look obscene. And some folks thought this was deliberate on behalf of McDonald’s.
But no, as funny as it was, it was not intentional. A representative from the company told the Huffington Post, “The altered image circulating on social media is the result of someone getting a little cheeky and adding some hand-drawing to a cup.”
