Fastfood Restaurants of the GTA

MCDONALD'S TIMELINE

1967 The first McDonald’s restaurant outside the United States opened in Richmond, British Columbia.
1968 As Franchisee for Eastern Canada, George A. Cohon opened the first McDonald’s in London, Ontario.
1970 McDonald’s 50th Canadian restaurant opened in Dieppe, New Brunswick.
1971 McDonald’s operations in Eastern and Western Canada were amalgamated and George A. Cohon was named President and Chief Executive Officer, McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada Limited.
1972 McDonald’s opened its first restaurant in Montreal. For the next 18 months, on average, a new restaurant opened each month in the province of Québec.
1976 McDonald’s changed the eating habits of Canadians with the introduction of its breakfast menu.
1977 With the opening of the 250th McDonald’s restaurant – in St. John’s, Newfoundland – McDonald’s restaurants were operating coast-to-coast.
1977 McDonald’s first McHappy Day raised more than $460,000 for local children’s charities. The first Ronald McDonald House opened in Toronto, providing a home-away- from-home for families with children undergoing treatment for cancer or other life-threatening illnesses. Today, there are Ronald McDonald Houses in 12 cities across Canada.
1981 McDonald’s became the largest foodservice organization in Canada.
1984 Seasonal McDonald’s restaurants opened at Wasaga Beach, Ontario and at Montreal’s La Ronde amusement park.
1985 McDonald’s first McSnack restaurant opened in Toronto’s Dundas West subway station.
1987 McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada Limited marked its 20th Anniversary, and with the generous support of its customers, raised $1.5 million for Rick Hansen’s Man in Motion World Tour.
1988 After 12 years of negotiations, George A. Cohon announced an agreement to open 20 McDonald’s restaurants in Moscow. It is the largest agreement ever signed between a food company and the Soviet Union.
1990 McDonald’s Canada opened Moscow-McDonald’s, the first McDonald’s restaurant in the Soviet Union, serviced by 27 cash registers and seating 700.
1992 In July, George A. Cohon was appointed to his current position of Senior Chairman, McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada, Ltd.
1994 In March, McDonald’s announced that all of its company-owned stores would become smoke free.
1994 McDonald’s signed an agreement with Wal-Mart Canada to open satellite restaurants in the retailer’s outlets across Canada.
1995 McDonald’s opened its first PlayPlace located in Niagara Falls and the first McDonald’s Express location at Granville and 70th, Vancouver.
1997 McDonald’s launched its newest great taste – McFlurry. McDonald’s introduces McWrap – a fresh new kind of sandwich filled with a variety of cool, fresh vegetables, cheeses and meats rolled into a warm flatbread.
1999 McDonald’s introduces its newest sandwich The Big Xtra – a big burger to satisfy customers who are ‘Xtra’ hungry! McDonald’s introduces Breakfast Bagels – the newest taste sensations on the breakfast menu in four delicious flavours: Bacon ‘N Egg, Ham ‘N Egg, Western Omelet and Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato.
2000 McDonald’s launches its McValue Menu – special pricing on select menu items on certain days and everyday low prices on some Extra Value Meal combinations. McDonald’s serves up its ‘Made for you’ philosophy – giving customers hot, fresh food made just for them, at the speed of McDonald's – or faster – every time they visit.
2001 McDonald’s launches a test of a variety of McCafé concepts serving specialty coffees and desserts in British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec.