McDonald's began as a small hamburger stand in California in 1940 and became a franchise business model under Ray Kroc in 1955. It now operates over 31,000 restaurants in 120 countries, employing over 1.5 million people and serving over 50 million customers per day. McDonald's entered the Indian market in 1996 through joint ventures and has expanded to many major cities. It focuses on affordability, efficiency, quality control, and education to continue its global success.