McDonald's began in 1937 as a drive-in restaurant operated by brothers Maurice and Richard McDonald. Ray Kroc joined the company in 1955 and established McDonald's as a franchise, opening over 100 restaurants by 1959. Kroc later bought out the McDonald brothers, growing the company internationally. McDonald's now operates over 33,000 restaurants serving over 67 million customers daily across 118 countries. Its supply chain efficiently sources ingredients from over 38 suppliers to maintain quality, service, cleanliness and value.