Before-and-after photos show how much fast-food restaurants have changed over the years

The McDonald brothers started selling burgers in the 1940s. The company took off in the 1950s with the involvement of Ray Kroc, who opened the first McDonald's franchise in Des Plaines, Illinois, on April 15, 1955.

When it opened, its menu only offered nine items — hamburgers, cheeseburgers, french fries, milkshakes, milk, root beer, orangeade, Coca Cola, and coffee.

According to the McDonald's website, the company now operates a total of 36,525 restaurants worldwide. It's been called the "most valuable" fast-food restaurant chain and the biggest quick-service restaurant in the world.

This is what it looked like in 1955, complete with its old mascot, Speedee, a chef with a burger for a head.

Ronald McDonald made his first appearance in 1963, and he has been around ever since. In his first ad appearance, Ronald McDonald pulled hamburgers out of his belt and had a McDonald's cup for a nose. His hat was a tray with a Styrofoam hamburger, fries, and a milkshake on top of it.

Touch-screen kiosks have been added to most restaurants in order to make ordering even faster.

Some, like this McDonald's restaurant in the Netherlands, underwent a more drastic redesign to work more effectively in a post-coronavirus world. New safety features included meal trolleys and designated waiting decals to distance customers.

In the US, McDonald's has also taken measures to protect customers, such as limiting the number of customers eating inside, requiring all employees and patrons to wear PPE, and frequently cleaning all surfaces.

The restaurant chain was founded in Jacksonville, Florida, by Keith Kramer and Matthew Burns. Then, in 1954, the company was taken over by David Edgerton and James McLamore, who decided to expand its locations.

The Whopper was introduced to the menu in 1957, and the sandwich has been on the menu — with its many variations — ever since. The Whopper was 37 cents compared to Burger King's original burger, which cost 18 cents.

The Whopper came with sauce, cheese, lettuce, pickles, and tomato, all piled on top of a larger patty. Today, Burger King still broils and flame-grills its burgers.

They offered faster service and convenience.

Today, Burger King has approximately ‎18,000 locations worldwide and is regarded as a leader in plant-based fast food due to its introduction of the Impossible Whopper, a meatless version of its signature burger.

Burger King has also begun focusing its advertisements on showcasing its food's high-quality ingredients with no preservatives added, namely through one infamous commercial that shows a Whopper decomposing over time.

According to a previous article by Business Insider, customers will have pickup options like lockers and even be able to have their orders delivered to their car via conveyor belts. The newly designed locations will place a bigger emphasis on curbside pickup and drive-thru orders, as well as offer more outdoor dining options.

The first newly designed stores will open in Miami, Latin America, and the Caribbean in 2021.

Glen Bell opened his first Taco Bell restaurant in Downey, California, the same site as the oldest McDonald's in the country.

Today, the chain has remained committed to bringing out exciting new menu items and expanding its breakfast offerings.

The restaurants offer unique, modern interiors and a specially curated menu.

However, the Colonel had been perfecting his chicken recipe for years before he opened his first restaurant. According to KFC, Harland Sanders first started cooking for hungry travelers at a gas station in 1930.

By 1940, he had his recipe for fried chicken perfected.

Sanders visited KFC restaurants around the world up until his death in 1980, at the age of 90, in Louisville, Kentucky.

The brand began testing the renovated restaurants in 2014, and thousands of locations were updated over the following few years.

In 1970, Wendy's pioneered the first drive-thru window. It had a separate grill for quick service.

The first Wendy's closed its doors in 2007, and the building has since been torn down.

In 2017, the chain announced that it would invest $30 million in improving the quality of its chicken. Wendy's is now famous for its fan-favorite spicy chicken nuggets.

When the restaurant first opened, the family-owned business sold its 5-cent sliders by the stack. White Castle is now regarded as the first fast-food hamburger chain.

In 1961, White Castle became the first fast-food hamburger chain to sell over 1 billion burgers. One year later, the chain brought out a brand new menu item: the cheeseburger slider.

The menu also now features the plant-based version of its famous, "crave-able" slider: the Impossible Slider. White Castle was the first fast-food chain to do so.

Founder Bill Rosenberg's goal was to "make and serve the freshest, most delicious coffee and donuts quickly and courteously in modern, well-merchandised stores."

Today, there are more than 12,400 Dunkin' restaurants worldwide. The chain serves approximately 2 billion cups of hot and iced coffee every year around the world. 

The chain debuted its now-iconic roast beef sandwich — made with the exact same recipe still used today — in 1971. Pictured, is the restaurant in 1996.

The sleek, modern new look can be found in many restaurants nationwide.

The burger chain now has over 2,200 quick-serve restaurants in the US and Guam.

While the restaurants may look more modern now, the chain's mascot "Jack" goes to show that if it isn't broken, don't fix it.

Instead, it used to be called Popeyes Chicken & Biscuits, and after that, Popeyes Famous Fried Chicken & Biscuits.

The chain has a brand new logo, and the official brand colors are now orange and white. The company is also looking towards expanding its restaurants globally following the smash success of its new chicken sandwich.

• Read more:
• THEN AND NOW: 35 photos that show how famous fast-food company logos have changed over time
• Why so many fast-food logos are red
• THEN AND NOW: Photos show how McDonald's has changed through the years, from its menu to its mascot
• THEN AND NOW: How the McDonald's menu has changed through the years