Love it or hate it, McDonald's is one of the most successful fast-food chains in the world.
Known for its ubiquitous golden arches and convenient, kinda-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.
But how much do you really know about Mickey-D's?
Maybe not as much as you think.
Here's a look at some false McDonald's facts you always thought were true.
Ray Kroc started McDonald's
He's often referred to as the founder of McDonald's, but Ray Kroc isn't actually the person who
came up with the concept.
That credit belongs to Dick and Mac McDonald, two brothers who opened a barbecue drive in,
that also had hamburgers on the menu, in San Bernadino, California, in 1940.
By 1954 they had expanded to 21 franchises thanks to their streamlined "Speedee Service
System," which helped launch the age of fast food.
That's when Ray Kroc came into the picture — a full 14 years after the chain began.
Kroc, whose job was selling milk shake mixers, was so impressed with the McDonald's operation
he opened an affiliate franchise in Des Plaines, Illinois.
In 1961, Kroc bought out the McDonald brothers and turned the chain into a worldwide phenomenon,
while systematically erasing Dick and Mac from the history books.
"This is Ray Kroc, the founder of McDonald's.
The man who had a dream 23 years ago."
The hot coffee lawsuit was bogus
Ask most people about the "hot coffee lawsuit" and they'll probably tell you some greedy
lady won millions of dollars in a lawsuit after she spilled a splash of coffee on herself.
But the reality is quite different.
It's true that Stella Liebeck spilled hot coffee on herself and ended up later suing
McDonald's.
But the lawsuit was anything but bogus.
The coffee she received was so hot that it caused third-degree burns on her lap, buttocks,
and genitals.
As a result, she was hospitalized for eight days and ended up permanently disfigured despite
extensive skin grafts and reconstructive surgery.
Even with all that, she initially asked McDonald's for just $11,000 to help cover hospital expenses,
and only ended up suing them after they countered with an offer of just $800.
Liebeck easily won the case, as it turned out McDonald's had received hundreds of previous
complaints from victims also burned by their coffee.
McDonald's ended up paying Liebeck an undisclosed amount somewhere south of $600,000 as a result.
"I was not in it for the money.
I was in it because I want them to bring the temperature down.
So other people won't go through the same thing I did."
Pink slime
It's widely known that McDonald's uses beef trimmings treated with ammonia gas in their
burgers — a product better known as pink slime — thanks to a crusade by celebrity
chef Jamie Oliver.
What most people don't know, however, is that McDonald's actually doesn't use pink slime
anymore — and hasn't for years.
In fact, according to their website, McDonald's discontinued the use of the stuff in 2011.
Similar rumors that Chicken McNuggets are made with pink slime, or that Mickey D's uses
worms, horse meat, cow eyeballs, mutant laboratory meat, or human flesh in their dishes are also
just not true.
Special sauce is top secret
"How do you do it?
What is your secret?"
The Big Mac, McDonald's signature burger, was invented back in 1967.
And pretty much everyone knows what's in a Big Mac, right?
"Two all beef patties special sauce lettuce cheese pickles onions on a sesame seed bun.
Ah, got it!"
But exactly what is in that special sauce?
For decades, people have believed that only a handful of McDonald's top brass in the company
know the recipe for special sauce, but that's actually not the case.
In fact, you can find the ingredients for the special sauce on their website.
And McDonald's actually put out their own video of how to make the stuff at home.
"A classic Big Mac - homemade, made at home, with ingredients that you can find in your
grocery store locally."
Enjoy!
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 to decompose, feeding the myth that
McDonald's food is so pumped full of preservatives and additives, it's not really even food anymore.
But according to McDonald's, 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're 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 mummified meals — they simply dried up.
Your Big Mac is safe to eat.
Need proof?
"It's probably 90 percent of my, my solid diet is probably Big Macs."
"And that's Don Gorsky, who's eaten a Big Mac every day since 1973.. and he's still
alive.
So go nuts.
Thanks for watching!
Click the Mashed icon to subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Plus check out all this cool stuff we know you'll love, too!