When McDonald's opened a hamburger stand off 28th Street in Boulder more than 50 years ago, the burgeoning fast-food chain inadvertently set the stage for decades of operational and philanthropic innovation.
The 109th location for McDonald's, which in 1973 was rebuilt at 1800 28th St., played a critical role in the development of the Happy Meal, the double drive-through, advertisements on tray liners, breakfast, scholarship programs and the nonprofit Ronald McDonald House. Bob Charles, the franchise owner at the heart of those efforts, sold the Boulder location to Aaron Holland in 1996.
McDonald's store No. 109 recently underwent another physical change — the razing of the 40-year-old restaurant and subsequent redevelopment — but the innovative roots run deep in the resulting eatery, the location's owner said.
