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la-gems First Original McDonald's Museum

First McDonald's Museum

A worn red McDonald's sign reading Self Service System, Hamburgers, 15 cents and San Bernardino California, with the top of a burger-headed statue at the left
What's left of the 15-cent hamburger sign on E Street Photo: otbla.com

Details

Venue
First Original McDonald's Museum
Address
1398 N E St, San Bernardino, CA 92405
Price
Free to visit

The corner of E Street and West 14th in San Bernardino is where Dick and Mac McDonald opened their first restaurant in 1940, and the museum there today has no connection to the McDonald's corporation. The original building came down in 1972. Albert Okura, who founded the Juan Pollo chicken chain, bought the property in 1998 and filled it with McDonald's history. The company sent cease-and-desist letters, then let it be. Okura died in 2023, and a June 2026 TV report found the museum still running.

What's Worth Seeing

Start outside. Only the lower half of the old sign is left, still selling 15-cent hamburgers, and Officer Big Mac stands next to it, a jail salvaged from PlayPlace equipment. Phil Yeh's mural of San Bernardino history wraps the building, with the McDonald brothers and Route 66 in it.

Inside, the layout runs roughly in order of time, and the early material is the reason to come: items from before Ray Kroc, such as news stories, menus, cups and a prototype ketchup dispenser. Many pieces were given by former employees. Later on it turns to Happy Meal toys, old uniforms and props from the film The Founder. Look for the tile of original flooring, which you can stand on.

Good to Know

Reports from 2023 and early 2024 say admission is free and donations are welcome. Hours come from listings rather than a museum website, so call 909-885-6324 before a long drive. The grounds are gated after hours.

How to Get There

From Route 66 on Mount Vernon Avenue, turn east on Baseline Street at the light and go about a mile, crossing over I-215. Turn left on E Street and go a quarter mile. The museum is on the left at West 14th Street. Roadside America has the same directions and its latest notes.

Nearby

  • Mitla Cafe on Mount Vernon Avenue opened on Route 66 in 1937. The National Trust says Taco Bell's founder got the hard-shell taco idea from its first owner, Lucia Rodriguez.
  • The Wigwam Motel on Foothill Boulevard has tee-pee shaped rooms on Route 66, at the line between San Bernardino and Rialto.

Where It Is

About 55 miles from downtown LA in a straight line.

Get directions

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