McDonald’s Abundance Serves the World
The premier American brand has sold a trillion burgers.
In 1948, McDonald’s offered nine items on its menu. This helped simplify operations and lower costs. McDonald’s stopped officially counting its hamburger sales after surpassing 100 billion burgers in 1994. However, based on recent estimates of roughly 75 burgers sold every second—or approximately 2.36 billion per year—the total number of burgers sold by McDonald’s is likely in the hundreds of billions, with some sources suggesting McDonald’s has already sold its trillionth burger.
My favorite McDonald’s item is the cheeseburger. It’s been my top choice since 1973, when McDonald’s first came to my hometown. This product will provide you with 300 calories, 15 grams of protein, 31 grams of carbohydrates, 13 grams of fat, and 720 milligrams of sodium. I think it’s delicious and a great food value.
In 1948, entry-level workers were earning around 66 cents an hour. A 19 cent cheeseburger would cost them around 17.4 minutes. Today they’re $1.99 and entry-level food service workers are earning $18.67 an hour, putting the time price at 6.4 minutes. The time price has dropped by 63 percent: You get 2.7 cheeseburgers today for the time price of one in 1948.
Today, with over 41,800 stores in 118 countries and global sales of $130 billion, chances are, wherever you go in the world you can find the Golden Arches calling you. Approximately 93 percent of the restaurants are owned and operated by independent franchisees, which has made many of them millionaires.
Chris Arnade has written extensively about how important McDonald’s is to American culture. He has a PhD in physics from Johns Hopkins University and worked for 20 years as a trader at an elite Wall Street bank before leaving in 2012 to become a photojournalist. His writings include many beautiful photographs that reveal the central role McDonald’s plays in many communities. Please take a few minutes to enjoy his work here.
Writing this has made me hungry. Time to add to that trillion burger count.
I LOVE McDONALD'S!
I agree with Dr. Pooley. McDonald's is a fantastic value that keeps getting better. My local McDonald's is well managed, safe, clean, consistent, and dependable. I appreciate that I can depend on and trust McDonald's anywhere I travel in the world.
I'm annoyed by people who criticize McDonald's instead of taking personal responsibility for their own health and food choices. I eat at McDonald's once or twice a week. It is a treat for me. It is not my primary choice for a healthy diet. Nevertheless, when I do choose to eat at McDonald's, I still avoid sugar.
I appreciate that, among all the criticisms, McDonald's has found a balance between listening to the critics and continuing to provide products and services that consumers keep coming back to.
Thank you for writing this article, Dr. Pooley. I appreciate the way the Human Progress organization encourages independent critical thinking, rather than the dogmatic mental laziness of those who criticize McDonald's.
Good for you!
I guess people have different definitions of Progress, but I was hoping for more when I signed up for the Newsletter...