Now You Can Own the Ranch Where the Ever-Popular Egg McMuffin Was Invented
The California ranch formerly owned by McDonald’s CEO Ray Kroc hits the market at the supersize price of $29M.
The California ranch formerly owned by McDonald’s CEO Ray Kroc hits the market at the supersize price of $29M.
If you’re one of the millions of people who can instantly spot the Golden Arches of McDonald’s, you have Ray Kroc to thank. A former milkshake mixer salesman, Kroc joined forces with the founding McDonald brothers, Richard and Maurice, in the 1950s and quickly led the fast-food company to national—and later, global—expansion.
When the restaurant chain went public a few years later, Kroc became an overnight millionaire—and he and his then-wife, Jane, purchased a 554-acre ranch in the Santa Ynez Valley near Santa Barbara to serve as a personal retreat and think tank.
The couple owned the sprawling estate—which they named the J & R Double Arch Ranch, in reference to the McDonald’s arches—until Ray's death in 1984. Shortly thereafter in 1990, Gerald Kessler of NaturesPlus Vitamins bought the property and renamed it the Circle K Ranch.
Today, the estate still has a number of the original structures, including four single-family residences, two bunkhouses, recreational amenities, barns, paddocks, and a versatile conference hall to host large-scale events. The main dwelling on the compound is a free-flowing lodge that spans more than 17,000 square feet. In addition to its 20 bedrooms and commercial kitchen, the home also features a 3,000-square-foot living room with hand-carved woodwork and an open mezzanine.
See the full story on Dwell.com: Now You Can Own the Ranch Where the Ever-Popular Egg McMuffin Was Invented
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