Tucked away in the tiny, sleepy Los Angeles suburb of Downey is a small piece of history — the world’s oldest McDonald’s restaurant.

In 1937, brothers Maurice & Richard McDonald opened a barbecue stand in San Bernardino, CA. When they realized that most of their sales were from burgers & fries (and honestly, how could they not be?), the McDonalds closed the barbecue stand, revamped it, and reopened as a burger joint.

Fast forward to the early 1950s. The McDonalds decided to start franchising, but they expected each franchisee to name the restaurant with their own name. They were surprised when their first franchisee in Arizona, opened with the name McDonald’s. But they soon realized this was the best way to franchise.

This McDonald’s in Downey was the 4th franchisee, but the 3rd to use the name McDonald’s.

Shortly after this McDonald’s opened, Ray Kroc bought McDonald’s, created McDonald’s Corporation, and all subsequent franchisees were franchised from the corporation.

But the McDonald’s in Downey? Because they franchised before McDonald’s Corporation, they weren’t subject to all the new rules. For example, when McDonald’s required indoor seating, they said, “Nah.” When McDonald’s created the Big Mac, they said, “Not interested.” They stayed as they started — as a walk-up burger stand.

Their “rebel” attitude didn’t sit too well with McDonald’s Corporate, but there was little they could do. Or was there?

Corporate McDonald’s decided to open a new franchise, just 1/2 mile from this one. The newer McDonald’s took customers away from the now-old-rundown-walk-up McDonald’s, so the franchise owner sold his franchise back to McDonald’s Corporation.

Finally!! After 40 years, McDonald’s could get rid of this eye-sore, out of place, definitely non-conforming McDonald’s!  They closed the restaurant and planned a demolition.

Everything was going McDonald’s way … except one thing: the 1953 building represented a period of architecture that had been almost entirely bulldozed out of existence to make room for apartment buildings, office buildings, hotels & shopping centers. This old McDonald’s was gorgeous and definitely worth saving. The public protested its demolition and the local government refused to issue a permit to demo it.

With such public support for the building, and so many roadblocks to bulldozing it, McDonald’s wisely came to the conclusion that it was worth saving. Good decision!

McDonald’s spent 2 years restoring the building to its original glory, added a separate seating area — shaped like the original McDonald’s, added a drive thru, and opened a McDonald’s gift shop & museum. Today, it’s a popular and profitable McDonald’s (the franchise they put a half-mile away? It’s still there and is also still thriving).

The museum doors are the original doors from the first McDonald’s University. Inside, they have original equipment, historic photos, a large Ronald McDonald, a bigger-than-life Mac Tonite, and much more.

On the outside, there’s the original McDonald’s sign with Speedy, the first McDonald’s mascot. Beneath the sign is a plaque honoring its historical status, and hedges shaped like the golden arches.

But do they have a Big Mac? You bet! And it was one of the freshest, tastiest Big Macs I’ve ever eaten.

You can find this McDonald’s at 10207 Lakewood Blvd, Downey, CA 90240