Walt Anderson and Billy Ingram with White Castle Airplane, White Castle System, Inc., circa. 1927, Courtesy of the Ohio History Connection
White Castle, founded in 1921 by Walt Anderson, pioneered the first modern fast‑food model.
This is the crew that worked in the Whiting White Castle on its first day, 1935, Courtesy of the Whiting-Robertsdale Historical Society .
With spotless white buildings, visible cooking, strict standardization, and regulated employee conduct, White Castle became the first chain built on consistency and control. But Anderson, fearful of losing quality, refused to franchise, leaving a gap for a more scalable restaurant system: McDonald’s.
'Look yourself over' White Castle chart, White Castle System, Inc., 1930 - 1949, Courtesy of the Ohio History Connection
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White Castle team members in uniform, Courtesy of White Castle System, Inc.
White Castle appearance chart "Look Yourself Over", White Castle System, Inc., March 7, 1956, Courtesy of the Ohio History Connection
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Two brothers, Richard and Maurice McDonald, turned to food service after failing to find a job during the Great Depression.
Richard (right), Maurice (center). Three men at desk reviewing an architect's rendering of a new "McDonalds Famous Hamburgers" building, San Bernardino, Doug White, circa. 1950's, Courtesy of the Southern California Edison Photographs and Negatives, Huntington Digital Library
Their modest orange juice stand in Monrovia soon transformed into a thriving business, helping them launch McDonald’s Barbeque, a Route 66 carhop in 1940.
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Image 1: The Giant Orange McDonald's Stand at the Monrovia Flying Field, circa 1937-1940, Courtesy of the Monrovia Legacy Project
Image 2: Airdrome signed photo by Richard McDonald, circa 1937-1940, Courtesy of the Monrovia Legacy Project
Image 3: The McDonald brothers' stand when it was a barbecue restaurant. The cruising scene and car hops gave way to quick service and family customers with the”Speedee Service System” introduced in 1948, circa 1940s, Courtesy to The Press Enterprise
Image 4: Dottie Gladwill, photographed in 1999, holds a photograph of herself from 1940 when she was a carhop at the original, pre-fast food McDonald’s in San Bernardino, Mark Zaleski and Press-Enterprise, Courtesy of Silicon Valley
Image 5: San Bernardino - Original McDonalds Site & Museum: McDonald's Bar-B-Q, November 8, 2025
