The First McDonald's Restaurant in Perak

Who isn't familiar with this fast-food chain, popular not just in Malaysia, but worldwide? The restaurant in question is none other than McDonald's.

The company managing McDonald's was actually started in 1940 with a restaurant opened by brothers Dick and Mac McDonald. 40 years after the McDonald brothers opened the first McDonald's restaurant, the fast-food chain finally established its presence in Perak around the end of 1980. This first McDonald's in Perak was located on Jalan Mustapha Al-Bakry, in the city of Ipoh. Wednesday, November 30, 2016, marked the final day of operations for this McDonald's branch. It is estimated that the McDonald's Pekan Baru Ipoh branch had been operating for nearly 36 years.

For our loyal readers at orangperak.com, what made the McDonald's Pekan Baru Ipoh branch on Jalan Mustapha Al-Bakry unique was that it was the first McDonald's branch opened in Perak, making it the oldest McDonald's in the state.

This first and oldest McDonald's in Perak holds many memories and brings a sense of nostalgia to visitors, most of whom came from around Ipoh. Many who grew up with this McDonald's since it first opened cannot forget the joy of visiting this particular restaurant.

There is another unique aspect of Perak's first McDonald's that you should know about: the architectural design of the building it operated in. Did you notice that the building had a British colonial design? It was actually one of the original administrative buildings for British officers and colonial staff in Ipoh back in the day.

The reasons and factors behind the closure of this first McDonald's branch in Perak remain unknown as no information was made available. However, it is known that all employees working at the branch at the time were transferred to other McDonald's locations around Ipoh.