McDonald's Legend Ray Kroc's Ranch Home Is Worth $29M, and It's Easy to See Why

The story of McDonald's is inextricably tied to that of businessman Ray Kroc, and his lavish California property known as the "J & R Double Arch Ranch." Kroc used his home as a business retreat and a meeting place for his associates, so some of the founding principles of the fast-food industry were established there. Now, we can tour the place ourselves in photos published by TopTenRealEstateDeals.com.

Kroc's ranch was featured in the documentary The Founder, which depicted his work to take McDonald's from a family-owned joint to a global corporation. The 554-acre property is located near Santa Barbara, California in the Santa Ynez Valley. Its isolation and size seem to be part of what attracted Kroc to the area, since he intended to host huge events there. At the same time, it has all the amenities needed to support a single family for the rest of the year.

Businessman Ray Kroc has one of the most iconic entrepreneurial stories of the 20th century — and the lavish home to match. Kroc helped turn McDonald's from a single burger joint into a fast-food empire and got incredibly wealthy doing it. Once the business took off, Kroc did much of his work from his sprawling California home known as the "J & R Double Arch Ranch."

Kroc founded the McDonald's Corporation with the help of siblings Richard and Maurice McDonald in a contentious business saga laid out in the documentary The Founder. If you've seen the movie, you've likely also seen a glimpse of Kroc's ranch — a 554-acre property located near Santa Barbara, California in the Santa Ynez Valley. Photos of the home and details about its unique layout have been published by TopTenRealEstateDeals.com. Now, you can take a virtual tour for yourself.

Kroc not only lived on the ranch, but he also held corporate retreats and think tank meetings there. Many of the chain's most popular menu items were reportedly conceived at the ranch, including the McRib and the Egg McMuffin. The property's dual function as a home and business getaway is still clear to this day.

Kroc retired from running McDonald's in 1974 and died in 1984 at the age of 81. His widow, Joan Kroc, donated most of his fortune to various charities in the remainder of his life, though it is not clear who came to own the J & R Double Arch Ranch.

Regardless, the ranch is now on the market for $29 million, and with over 17,000 square feet of living space, there is a lot to see. Here is a look inside Kroc's infamous getaway.

Kroc's ranch covers about 554 acres of land in the California desert and consists of several buildings and outdoor features. The property is dotted with living spaces, barns and leisure spaces. The "main lodge" for living spaces is over 17,000 square feet, with a living room that is 3,000 square feet on its own.

The ranch aesthetic comes off strong at Kroc's home, especially from the outside. The home was made to host large gatherings, and it shows in every aspect of the facade.

Kroc ensured that there was plenty of space to hold business meetings on his property, from gatherings of 100 people or more to small staff meetings. The result is a number of halls, grand living rooms and long tables, all with different capacities.

The house is not all business, however — recreation such as a pool table and a full gym are available inside, while outside there are tennis courts, volleyball courts and so on. There are, of course, also barns, corrals and paddocks for conventional ranch activities.

The property has more than 20 bedroom suites in the main lodge, plus a few single residences on the property and a few bunkhouses as well.

From the pictures shown, the bathrooms are as lavish as any other part of the property, with deep tubs fine stone countertops.

Naturally, a restaurant mogul like Kroc had the finest when it came to kitchens put in at his home. These may also have been the site of experimentation on McDonald's menu items.

Kroc's property has two lakes — open defiance of California's dry heat. It also has at least two swimming pools. Water is stored in three cisterns and five wells, with a total capacity of 90,000 gallons.

Kroc included a full library on the property, with room for multiple people to study or read leisurely. The mogul only had one child.