McDonald’s Golden Arches began as a stylistic quirk of the first McDonald’s Speedee Service Restaurant in San Bernardino, CA—a quick way for drivers to spot the burger stand from the side of the highway. As McDonald’s expanded throughout the company—after Ray Kroc took over from the McDonald brothers, and decided to “franchise” locations in many states—the Golden Arches moved from an architectural feature of the restaurants to a broader symbol of the company. By the 1970s, the “M” in McDonald’s signage was created of out two interlocked arches, and often affixed to the top of buildings—again, so that drivers could see McDonald’s from the road.
Golden Arches Quotes in Fast Food Nation
The Fast Food Nation quotes below all refer to the symbol of Golden Arches. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 1: The Founding Fathers
Quotes
Richard McDonald . . . though untrained as an architect . . . came up with a design [for McDonald’s stores] that was simple, memorable, and archetypal. On two sides of the roof he put golden arches, lit by neon at night, that from a distance formed the letter M.
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 2: Your Trusted Friends
Quotes
This is rat eat rat, dog eat dog. I’ll kill ‘em, and I’m going to kill ‘em before they kill me. You’re talking about the American way of survival of the fittest.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 4: Success
Quotes
As franchises and chain stores opened across the United States, driving along a retail strip became a shopping experience much like strolling down the aisle of a supermarket. Instead of pulling something off the shelf, you pulled into a driveway. The distinctive architecture of each chain became its packaging . . . .
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Fast Food Nation LitChart as a printable PDF.
Golden Arches Symbol Timeline in Fast Food Nation
The timeline below shows where the symbol Golden Arches appears in Fast Food Nation. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 2: Your Trusted Friends
...the country. Kroc also helped introduce what would become McDonald’s most recognizable corporate embodiment—after the Golden Arches themselves—Ronald McDonald, the red-and-yellow-suited clown who would go on to achieve even broader name recognition...
(full context)
Chapter 4: Success
...period of franchise expansion, changed some of its stores from the original, “old-time” McDonald’s, whose Golden Arches were a structural part of the buildings, to the common “mansard roof” McDonald’s now seen—though...
(full context)
