The First McDonald's Restaurant Even though the first McDonald's restaurant sold only hamburgers and French fries, it still became a cultural symbol. Now, in the Southern California city of Downey, people are trying to save the first McDonald's restaurant in history. Language Point 2McDonald's, though, says the building should be torn down. Built in 1953, the restaurant in Downey, California, is the oldest of all the Golden Arches in America, and has the earliest McDonald's building design.