Facts About McDonald's

 

Facts About McDonald's That Will Blow Your Mind

In 1992 when Rutgers professor Benjamin Barber coined the term "McWorld," there were 12,700 McDonald'sworldwide.

Today there are over 33,000.

The relentless spread of McDonald's over the past 61 years is an incredible business success story. In some markets the burger chain is just getting started, with plans to open 200 stores in China this year.

McDonald's serves 1% of the world's population every day

Image: Ben Hider/Getty Images

Source: Société Générale

McDonald's sells more than 75 hamburgers every second

The Hamburglar

Source: McDonald's Operations and Training Manual via Side Dish

McDonald's' $24 billion in revenue makes it the 90th-largest economy in the world

Image: Vacacion on flickr

Source: Yahoo Finance

Counting $32 billion in revenue from franchise stores, McDonald's claims the 68th biggest economy, bigger than Ecuador

Image: wfbakker2 on flickr

Source: 2009 Annual Report

McDonald's hires around 1 million workers in the US every year

Image: McDonald's

This estimate from Fast Food Nation assumes a 700,000 domestic workforce with 150% turnover rate.

According to company estimates, one in every eight American workers has been employed by McDonald's

Image: Associated Press

Source: McDonald's own estimate in 1996 via Fast Food Nation

McDonald's is the world's largest distributor of toys, with one included in 20% of all sales

Image: McDonald's

Source: QSR via Motley Fool

McDonald's' iconic golden arches are recognized by more people than the cross

McDonald's product placement inside FarmVille

Image: Viralblog

A survey by Sponsorship Research International found that 88 percent could identify the arches and only 54 percent could name the Christian cross, according to Fast Food Nation.

The Queen of England owns a McDonald's nearBuckingham Palace as part of her vast real estate portfolio

A McDonald's restaurant owned by the Queen, seriously

Image: Google Maps

Source: DailyMail 

For the next three years, McDonald's is going to open one restaurant every day in China

Source: Reuters via Paul Kedrosky

McDonald's delivers -- in 18 countries!

Source: Japan Times

The only place in the lower 48 that is more than 100 miles from a McDonald's is a barren plain in South Dakota

Image: AggData.com via Side Dish

Source: AggData via Side Dish

Americans alone consume one billion pounds of beef at McDonald's in a year -- five and a half million head of cattle

Source: John Hayes, McDonald's senior director of U.S. food and packaging, via Side Dish

Sorry to gross you out but... McDonald's chicken nuggets used to be made of this pink goop*

Image: Gizmodo

UPDATE: According to Snopes, McDonald's stopped using mechanical separation for McNuggets in 2003.