May 15 seventy-nine years ago Richard and Maurice McDonald opened a barbeque restaurant, which would later become known as the fast food chain McDonald’s, forever clogging people’s arteries all over the world. The original San Bernardino restaurant was demolished in 1976 (or 1971, according to some sources) and the site was sold to the Juan Pollo restaurant chain in 1998, where a McDonald’s and Route 66 Museum (with a Facebook of course) is now located. Yes, a chicken chain operates a museum about a hamburger chain because why not? Well, it makes perfect sense. The Juan Pollo CEO and founder, Albert Okura, is not only active in the revitalization of Historic Route 66 but saw it as his “destiny” to buy the original McDonald’s property. After all, the Golden Arches is the reason why Okura went into the restaurant business. He claims to have eaten over 10,000 hamburgers in his lifetime (how is he still alive?). Although completely unofficial, the museum has an extensive collection of pre-Ray Kroc McDonald’s memorabilia including old news articles and photos, mementos like an original menu and a prototype of a catsup dispensing gun, or just plain creepy as in conserved straw wrappers. And don’t worry…the museum has all your old Happy Meal toys from childhood. The exterior is just as interesting with a vintage McDonald’s sign, Hamburglar and Grimace statues, an Officer Big Mac jail and several Route 66 plaques. Oh, and more than a few Ronald McDonalds. There is also a colorful mural that runs along the entire wall of the museum. Eventually Albert Okura plans to restore the restaurant as it looked in the 1940s because he has blueprints for the original building. Let’s just say Juan Pollo is Mickey D’s number one fan. He’s lovin’ it!
McDonald’s and Route 66 Museum
