A few nights ago, I was driving my daughter home from practice. It was late, we were tired, and she hit me with a request that instantly made my stomach groan: "McDonald's?"

I sighed. "Sure, kiddo... why not?"

Then she asked this innocent little question that ended up derailing my entire night: "How many times do you think you've eaten at McDonald's?"

Simple question. Not so simple answer. I started thinking... and then I fell straight down the McDonald's rabbit hole. Here's what I found-numbered in order of sheer randomness:

1. McDonald's golden arches are recognized by more people than the cross. Advertising > religion. Mind blown.

2. In 1960, McDonald's almost redesigned the golden arches. A psychologist argued to keep the "M" shape because it resembled... breasts. Yes, really.

3. McDonald's is the world's largest distributor of toys. Somewhere, a Happy Meal toy probably has more social connections than you do.

4. Don Gorske ate his 28,788th Big Mac in 2016 and got recognized by Guinness World Records. That's commitment... or a life choice.

5. In Japan, Ronald McDonald is called Donald McDonald because the "R" is tricky to pronounce. Even clowns can't escape language barriers.

6. McDonald's Caesar salad is more fattening than a hamburger. Greens? Yeah... pass.

7. About 7% of all U.S.-grown potatoes are turned into McDonald's fries. That's a lot of fries. And a lot of fry grease.

8. 75% of all sesame seeds grown in Mexico end up on McDonald's hamburger buns. The global sesame seed empire, powered by Big Macs.

9. McDonald's buys about 2 billion eggs every year-just for the U.S. restaurants. Breakfast is serious business.

10. McDonald's makes about $85 million per day. Daily. I'll let that sink in while you order a $1 coffee.

11. McDonald's restaurants feed 68 million people every day. That's more than the entire population of the U.K.

12. McDonald's opens a new restaurant every 14.5 hours. That's faster than most of us can even decide what to eat.

13. Montpelier, Vermont, is the only U.S. state capital without a McDonald's. Everyone else? You're never more than 100 miles from one.

14. McDonald's original menu featured hot dogs, not hamburgers. Can you imagine walking in today for a hot dog instead of a Big Mac? Chaos.




So, to answer my daughter's question: I've lost count. But after falling down this rabbit hole, I'm fairly certain I've eaten there enough times to keep the fries, eggs, sesame seeds, and toys flowing for generations.

Next time she asks for McDonald's, I'll probably suggest a salad... then sneak a Big Mac anyway.

Got an idea for a future article? Shoot me an email here and if it passes my 'random-worthy' test, it just might show up in a future article!

Until next time,
Randy at Random Facts
Always Random. Never Boring