-Caveat Lector- McDonald's Opens 25,000th Restaurant 05:20 p.m Aug 19, 1999 Eastern CHICAGO, Aug. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- McDonald's Corporation (NYSE: MCD) marked another major milestone today with the grand opening of its 25,000th restaurant in the world. It is located in Chicago's historic Bronzeville community at the corner of 35th Street and Indiana Avenue, on the city's south side near Comiskey Park. "This opening represents a significant achievement for the growth and development of our global business," said McDonald's Chairman and CEO Jack M. Greenberg. "We can take great pride in the fact that we now serve more than 40 million customers in 25,000 restaurants around the world. In fact, just last Friday, we opened the first McDonald's restaurant in our 117th country - Gibraltar. I think even our founder Ray Kroc would be astonished by our global achievements." The first McDonald's restaurant opened in 1955 by McDonald's founder Ray Kroc in Des Plaines, Illinois, about 20 miles from the site of the 25,000th restaurant. "This is a great moment for McDonald's, a corporation that has played an integral role in building the state's economy," said Illinois Governor George H. Ryan. "McDonald's has given back generously to the community it serves, by funding many programs throughout Illinois to benefit young people." "McDonald's has been a great partner in revitalizing Chicago's neighborhoods," said Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley. "The city is well-served by McDonald's commitment to our communities, through the revitalization of our neighborhoods and the creation of thousands of jobs and opportunities for Chicagoans." Mayor Daley and Governor Ryan proclaimed August 19th as Golden Arches Day in the city and the state. The restaurant is owned and operated by new licensee Ilene Porter who now joins the ranks of the more than 5,000 owner/operators worldwide. Porter is also the newest member of the National Black McDonald's Operators Association (NBMOA), made up of 327 U.S. franchisees. They own 800 McDonald's restaurants throughout the U.S. Nationwide, their combined sales exceed $1 billion and as local employers, they provide jobs for nearly 65,000 people. "We believe that McDonald's - the company, franchisees, and suppliers - must reflect the diversity of the people and cultures we serve worldwide if we are to be successful," Jack Greenberg said. "In the United States, almost one-third of our current franchisees and 65 percent of our applicants-in-training are women and minorities." As a symbol of McDonald's longtime commitment to giving back to the communities in which it does business, Jack Greenberg announced that a $25,000 donation from McDonald's Corporation will be divided among five local organizations. The five local organizations designated to receive a $5,000 donation from McDonald's Corporation are: Centers for New Horizons, The Urban League, Dawson Technical Institute, St. James Elementary School and Hales Franciscan High School. Representing Mayor Daley's office was City Treasurer Barbara Lumpkin. Pam McDonough, Director of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs represented Governor Ryan's office. Also attending the festivities were Congressman Bobby Rush (lst District), Cook County States's Attorney Dick Devine and Alderman Madeline Haithcock (2nd Ward). In the Chicagoland area, McDonald's purchases more than $400 million annually from Chicago suppliers. In the past five years, McDonald's and its franchisees invested more than $75 million in improvements to enhance the exterior and interior look of restaurants throughout Chicago. There are 459 McDonald's restaurants in the Chicagoland area, with 115 located in the City of Chicago. As a tribute to Bronzeville's rich musical history, the restaurant has a jazz theme, featuring murals of famous jazz musicians and musical instruments. Local jazz musicians joined in the 25,000th restaurant celebration and the restaurant will host "Jazz-under-the-Stars" live music in the weeks to come. McDonald's is the world's largest food-service retailer with 25,000 restaurants serving more than 40 million customers every day in 117 countries around the world. Approximately 85 percent of McDonald's U.S. restaurants are operated by independent franchisees. SOURCE McDonald's Corporation http://infoseek.go.com/Content?arn=PR3570-19990819&qt=%2Bmcdonald's+%2B25,00 0&sv=IS&lk=noframes&col=NX&kt=A&ak=news1486 Bard DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance�not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. 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