These before-and-after photos show how much McDonald's has changed over the years

• The first McDonald's franchise was opened by Ray Kroc in 1955 and had only nine items on its menu.
• Kroc had acquired the franchise rights from two brothers, Dick and Maurice "Mac" McDonald, who had opened a small hamburger stand in San Bernardino, California, in 1940. Kroc later acquired exclusive rights to the McDonald's name. 
• We collected photos from the earliest McDonald's stores to see how much they've changed over the past 70 years.

McDonald's is one of the biggest fast-food chains in the world. To stay on top, the fast-food chain needs to be constantly changing to stay up-to-date with current trends. From adding healthier menu items to offering an app to order and pay for food online, the chain is constantly evolving to maintain its international dominance in fast food.

In just over 70 years, McDonald's has grown from a local restaurant in California to an internationally known chain servicing over 69 million customers every day. 

Keep scrolling to see some photos of how the brand has changed over the years: 

SEE ALSO: What 9 items were on McDonald's original menu

Back in the chain's early days, this is what most McDonald's stores looked like. This photo was taken in 1985, but it shows one of the few "old style" McDonald's restaurants that were still operating at the time.

Since then, the iconic yellow arches have become more of an accent piece on contemporary buildings.

Some stores have chosen to revamp the original store design.