McDonald’s is one of those famous restaurant chains that seems like it’s always open. However, it’s still a good idea to check whether your local McDonald’s restaurant is open on Labor Day 2019 before heading there to get a shake, Big Mac, or whatever your favorite McDonald’s staple happens to be. You’re in luck.
Yes, most McDonald’s restaurants are open on Labor Day.
However, it’s a good idea to check with your local restaurant directly. You can do so on the McDonald’s website, which has a function that allows you to search for individual restaurants by zip code, city or state. Hours can vary by location.
It’s true that McDonald’s is open on a lot of holidays. Unlike some fast food chains, McDonald’s is open o New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving, Veterans Day, and even Christmas. You can see a list of other restaurants open on Labor Day 2019 here.
The History of McDonald’s
The history of McDonald’s founding is so famous that there have been movies made about it, of course, but the details are still interesting.
“In 1917, 15-year-old Ray Kroc lied about his age to join the Red Cross as an ambulance driver, but the war ended before he completed his training. He then worked as a piano player, a paper cup salesman and a Multimixer salesman,” McDonald’s explains on its website.
“In 1954, he visited a restaurant in San Bernardino, California that had purchased several Multimixers. There he found a small but successful restaurant run by brothers Dick and Mac McDonald, and was stunned by the effectiveness of their operation. The McDonald’s brothers produced a limited menu, concentrating on just a few items – burgers, fries and beverages – which allowed them to focus on quality and quick service.”
The site continues: “They were looking for a new franchising agent and Kroc saw an opportunity. In 1955, he founded McDonald’s System, Inc., a predecessor of the McDonald’s Corporation, and six years later bought the exclusive rights to the McDonald’s name and operating system. By 1958, McDonald’s had sold its 100 millionth hamburger…First and foremost, Kroc advocated adherence to the system approach. So while many of McDonald’s most famous menu items – like the Filet-O-Fish, Big Mac, and Egg McMuffin – were created by franchisees, the McDonald’s operating system required franchisees to follow the core McDonald’s principles of quality, service, cleanliness and value.”
The History of Labor Day
Why is Labor Day celebrated in the United States? It’s important to remember that it wasn’t always about cooking (or eating) out. It’s good to take a moment to appreciate the true reasoning behind the day.
According to USA Today, the origins of the holiday derive from the poor working conditions in the 1800s. Children worked dangerous jobs, work days were incredibly long, and workers often faced hazards on the job, the newspaper reported. Congress made the first Monday every September a national Labor Day in 1894 after a workers’ strike and riots broke out over the bleak working conditions for many Americans, USA Today reported.
READ NEXT: More on Labor Day 2019.