25 Facts About McDonald's You Might Not Know

1.

McDonald's sells more than 75 hamburgers per second. That comes out to roughly 6,000,000 million burgers every day and serves about 1 percent of the entire Earth’s population.

2.

McDonald's is the largest distributor of toys. One might think Toys R Us, Hasbro, or another toy company would be the largest distributor of toys, but in fact, McDonald’s is with the sizable amount of Happy Meals they sell every day.

3.

McDonald's owned Chipotle. Now a massive, popular brand among Millennials, Chipotle used to be owned by McDonald’s since they held 90% of their shares. However, in 2008 they decided to sell their shares in order to focus on their sole business. They’re probably regretting that now.

4.

A man named Ronald MacDonald robbed a Wendy's. In a bit of shocking irony, a man named Ronald MacDonald in Manchester has been charged with stealing from a safe at a Wendy’s. It’s so surreal, we’re not totally sure how to feel about it.

5.

McDonalds is never more than 115 miles away in contiguous America. If someone wanted to never see a McDonald’s again, the chances of doing so are very slim. With thousands of locations all over the place, on almost every corner, McDonald’s is never more than 115 miles away. There’s no escape.

6.

McDonald's salad is more fattening. Those trying to watch their waistline by eating a salad instead of a burger might want to rethink the salad option at McDonald’s. In a bitter turn of events, the salad is even worse for you than their burgers. There’s no winning.

7.

Largest McDonald's playplace Popular in the 1990’s, McDonald’s play places have slowly gone the way of the dinosaur, but people can always depend on their largest play place in Orlando, Florida. Of course, it’s located by all the major tourist attractions.

8.

No horses allowed in the drive-thru We wouldn’t recommend taking a horse through the drive-thru of a McDonald’s. One man in England tried it and was fined.

9.

Queen Elizabeth owns a McDonald's. Because of course, she does. The Queen purchased a McDonald’s very close to Buckingham Palace, probably to get a quick snack or to beef up her financial portfolio (pun intended).

10.

70% of McDonald's orders are at the Drive-Thru. Having a lunch break and don’t feel like getting out of your car? You’re not alone; according to one study, 70% of people order their food through McDonald’s drive-thru.

11.

McDonald's CEO makes waaaaay more money than an employee (obviosuly). Ouch. In this painful example of income inequality, it would take a McDonald’s employee seven months to make what their CEO makes in an hour.

12.

The "I'm lovin' it" jingle has a contentious history. Reigning as one of McDonald’s longest slogans, there’s a troubled history behind “I’m Lovin’ it” that started with a competition and ended with Justin Timberlake and Pharrell writing and recording the song.

13.

McDonald's is the 90th largest economy in the world. McDonald’s makes $27 billion in revenue, making it the 90th largest economy in the world.

14.

McDonald's told its employees to avoid fast food. In another bit of irony, McDonald’s once had a website to advise employees on work and life. One of their wise pieces of advice was to not eat fast food. Perhaps we should all take them up on that advice?

15.

McDonald's sold hot dogs before hamburgers. When McDonald’s was still owned by the McDonald brothers, they sold hot dogs before hamburgers. Ray Kroc changed this later on.

16.

The Golden Arches is a popular symbol. According to the book Fast Food Nation, McDonald’s Golden Arches is more recognizable to people than the Christian cross.

17.

McDonald's actually isn't the largest fast food chain. While most might think McDonald’s is the largest fast food chain, they would be wrong. Subway holds that spot in the United States.

18.

McDonald's has employed 1 in 8 people. McDonald’s has hired a lot of people over the course of its lifetime, including 1 million people in a single year. 1 in 8 people have been hired by McDonald’s at some point.

19.

McDonald's opens a restaurant every 14.5 hours. McDonald’s opens restaurants like they have a conveyor belt that plops them all over the world.

20.

McDonald's Breakfast sandwiches have funky ingredients. The egg in McDonald’s breakfast sandwiches was not cracked on the side of their counter and made on their grill. Other ingredients found in McDonald’s eggs include chemicals that are found in hand soaps, moisturizers, and shaving cream, among other things. I’m lovin’ it?

21.

McDonald's daily customer traffic is immense. One would imagine a food chain McDonald’s size would have lots of customers, and they’d be right. They have approximately 62 million daily customers, larger than the population of Great Britain.

22.

McDonald's serves beer. The United States loves their fountain drinks, and McDonald’s is happy to oblige them. In Germany, however, they like a different kind of beverage, beer. Yes, in Germany, customers are able to order a beer with their Big Mac.

23.

McDonald's is a big producer of waste. The fast food industry is a prime contributor to waste and garbage around the world, but McDonald’s leads the way as one of the bigger fast food chains. Though they have made steps to help encourage recycling and reducing waste, they have a long way to go.

24.

McDonalds used to sell pizza. Once upon a time in the 1980’s, McDonald’s experimented with selling pizza. It failed, of course, because cooking a pizza takes way longer than grilling a hamburger. Though, apparently, pizza is still available in Ohio and West Virginia. Road trip, anyone?

25.

McDonald's sauces contain propylene glycol. There’s nothing better than dipping a hot chicken McNugget into barbecue sauce, right? Well, you might think twice before doing it again. Their sauces contain propylene glycol, a “less toxic” chemical found in anti-freeze. Of course, the FDA approves it in very small doses.