McDonald's is one of the most famous and popular restaurant chains in the world, all of us at least once have eaten there.......we know the menus, the crispy fries, the sandwiches and the delicious burgers, anyone who has never entered a McDonald's is almost a troglodyte.......
But if it is the largest hamburger chain in the world, do you know who deserves the credit?
Of a blender representative from Illinois: Ray Kroc!
Oh yes, because if nowadays we can eat a Crispy Mc bacon menu all over the world we do not owe it to Dick and Mac McDonald, the founders of the famous fast-food restaurant;
they did not want to expand into the restaurant business because they were afraid of losing control and the quality of their service.
They were satisfied with their one restaurant in San Bernardino, where they had set up an efficient, standardized system based on simplicity and speed.
Brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald, born into an Irish immigrant family, moved to California in the 1920s, hoping to make their fortunes in show business. After failing in the movies, they turned to the restaurant business, opening a drive-in in San Bernardino in 1937. Their establishment, called McDonald's Barbeque, offered a varied menu, but was distinguished by its hamburgers, which were the most popular with customers. In 1948, the brothers decided to revamp their restaurant, eliminating almost all entrees except hamburgers, and introducing a quick, standardized production and service system, which they called the "Speedee Service System." This system, based on an assembly line, allowed burgers to be prepared in seconds, reducing costs and increasing sales. The McDonald brothers had thus created the first example of modern fast food, which was a great success among customers, especially young people and families.
In 1954, their restaurant attracted the attention of Ray Kroc, a blender salesman who was traveling the country; Kroc was impressed by the success and efficiency of the restaurant, he quickly realized the potential of that fast system because he himself was forced to stand in long lines at drive-ins to eat between appointments
.Kroc had a great intuition: he realized that that new restaurant system would work and proposed to the brothers that they expand their franchise brand, offering to take over the management and promotion. The brothers agreed, entering into a contract that stipulated that Kroc would receive 1.9 percent of the franchised restaurants' revenue, of which 0.5 percent would go to the brothers. The contract also stipulated that the brothers would retain control and ownership of their original restaurant and the McDonald's brand.
Kroc thus began to establish a network of McDonald's restaurants across the country, following the brothers' model and standards. However, conflicts soon emerged between Kroc and the brothers due to the different visions and ambitions of the two. While the brothers were satisfied with their success and wanted to maintain the quality and simplicity of their product, Kroc was always looking for new opportunities and innovations,and wanted to expand the brand internationally; so he began to violate the contract, introducing new items to the menu, such as milkshake powder, and buying land and real estate for the franchised restaurants, without the brothers' consent.
Tired of the constant pressure and arguments with Kroc, the two brothers accepted Kroc's proposal and for the sum of $2.7 million sold their name and ownership of the McDonald's brand to Kroc in 1961.
Upon gaining control Kroc continued to expand his empire, becoming one of the richest and most influential entrepreneurs in the world.
Kroc was able to achieve his goals because he was a man of exceptional business and marketing intuition; always looking for new customers and new opportunities, also he was one of the first entrepreneurs to believe in and launch franchising; he never gave up and did not let difficulties or rejections discourage him, he had great confidence in himself and his abilities, and he did not let criticism influence him; he was obsessed with success, money and would not give up until he reached his goal!
Michael Keaton is Ray Kroc in "The Founder"(2016) a biopic of John Lee Hancock
