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Ray Kroc McDonalds

Article Overview: What would have happened had Ray Kroc never met the MacDonald brothers? How would the landscape of today’s fast food industry be different? The story of Ray Kroc and McDonald’s demonstrates how one idea can be turned into something completely different when it is placed in the hands of someone else.

Ray Kroc McDonalds

What would have happened had Ray Kroc never met the MacDonald brothers? How would the landscape of today’s fast food industry be different? The story of Ray Kroc and McDonald’s demonstrates how one idea can be turned into something completely different when it is placed in the hands of someone else.

When Kroc went to San Bernardino, California in 1954 to visit Mac and Dick MacDonald, he saw two brothers who were satisfied with their small-scale hamburger and fries operation. His idea was born from a very different vision; he wanted to create a global franchise. Much like the original inventor of Coca-Cola who sold his core idea to somebody with a strong imagination and a greater desire to expand that idea, Kroc took their fast food franchise to a higher level.

The fast food chain that the world would come to know so well provides a number of useful lessons for today’s entrepreneurs to draw from. Indeed, the story of the company’s success is outlined for all to read in “Grinding it Out: The Making of McDonald’s”, a book written by Kroc and Robert Anderson. In it, the basic philosophy behind what made the chain so successful is explained: “Achievement must be made against the possibility of failure, against the risk of defeat,” wrote Kroc and Anderson. “It is no achievement to walk a tightrope laid flat on the floor.”

For Ray Kroc, McDonald’s became like a religious experience. In fact, Kroc even claims in his book that while he was at work, McDonald’s would come before God. That is the dedication with which he was able to take his company to the top.

According to this entrepreneur, McDonald’s was managed based on the principle of KISS (Keep it Simple Stupid). However, that is a seemingly modest account of a man that paid painstaking attention to even the smallest of details. From the size of their French fries, to the shape of their hamburger patties, to the amount of time it took to deliver both, no detail went overlooked. He even claims that “a great deal of study had gone into creating the appearance and personality of Ronald McDonald, right down to the colour and texture of his wig.”

In growing the chain, Kroc might have been obsessed with cleanliness, but he was definitely not afraid of getting his hands dirty. As the company’s success grew, so too did its competitors’ attempts at industrial espionage. Kroc decided to respond in kind. However, instead of hiring a professional detective agency, he took matters into his own hands. At nights, he would go to his rivals’ outlets and sift through their outdoor garbage cans in order to determine which of their product lines were selling poorly and thus being thrown out.

In its early days, Ray Kroc’s McDonald’s struggled even just to pay its wages. But, after bringing in an accountant and refocusing their efforts, Ray Kroc and McDonald’s became the success they both are today.

Related Articles
  Lesson #4: Use Failure As A Catalyst for Success
  Grinding Out Success: How Kroc Made McDonald’s A Golden Triumph
  Lesson #1: Take Your Business Seriously
  The Burger King: Ray Kroc is Born
  Lesson #2: You’re Only As Good As The People You Hire

Article Tags: amount of time, coca cola, core idea, entrepreneur, fast food, food chain, food franchise, food industry, french fries, hamburger patties, inventor, macdonald, mcdonalds, painstaking attention, ray kroc mcdonalds, religious experience, robert anderson, san bernardino california, tightrope, two brothers



Related Forum Posts
Drones work at franchises - [quote="RussellWebb":1no28ggu]I think franchising is for the conforming mindset. I understand Ray Kroc of Mcdonalds was quite ruthless with franchisees about adhering to his system. And many of the good franchise systems are based on his principles. Conform, conform, conform.... it's just not in my dictionary.[/quote:1no28ggu] Hi Russell, Have you ever worked for any franchises in the past? And if so, did you find your experience to be a good or unpleasant one? As I've mentioned numerous times before in the forums, I used to work for McDonalds during my undergrad. And while I respected their "military like" operation, I really didn't like being asked to recite store policies (e.g. to list the proper way to assemble a customer's order) on my evaluations. I don't think there's anything wrong with working for someone else, but I [u:1no28ggu]HATE[/u:1no28ggu] the idea of being nothing more than a non-thinking [u:1no28ggu]replaceable drone[/u:1no28ggu]. We're all human beings, so why do franchises treat their employees like "worker bees" (i.e. work them till they quit or die or at least wish for their own deaths)?
A good screening process for new hires - Another good screening method is the one McDonalds uses for its new employees. Applicants are subjected to two interviews (i.e. the first one by an assistant manager and the second by the store manager) and they have a "Crew Trainer" work with them for his/her first 3 shifts, each one being only 3 hours in duration. And at the end of the training period, an evaluation is done on the new hire and if he/she passes, there's a 6 month probation period before he/she is considered an "official" employee with full benefits (e.g. granted an employee card that allows them to get 50% off their meals at any McDonalds store location). And during the probation period, new hires are evaluated multiple times by various senior staff members (to ensure there's no biased performance reviews).
McDonald's rebranding - I've just been doing a bit of research into McDonalds - not for any business reasons - but over at Wikipedia it says that: In 2006, McDonald's introduced its "Forever Young" brand by redesigning all of their restaurants, the first major redesign since the 1970s.[5][6] The new design will include the traditional McDonald's yellow and red colors, but the red will be muted to terra cotta, the yellow will turn golden for a more "sunny" look, and olive and sage green will be added. To warm up their look, the restaurants will have less plastic and more brick and wood, with modern hanging lights to produce a softer glow. Contemporary art or framed photographs will hang on the walls. The exterior will have golden awnings and a "swish brow" instead of the traditional double-slanted mansard roof. The new restaurants will feature areas: The "linger" zone will offer armchairs, sofas, and Wi-Fi connections. The "grab and go" zone will feature tall counters with bar stools for customers who eat alone; Plasma TVs will offer them news and weather reports. The "flexible" zone will be targeted toward families and will have booths featuring fabric cushions with colorful patterns and flexible seating. Different music will be targeted to each zone. Now I admit I haven't been to a McDonalds in a long time - I usually go to KFC, but their are two photos of the "old" and the "new" McDonalds frontages, and I've gotta tell ya, the old, white-fronted building looks a lot nicer than the new, "terra cotta" fronted building. I might nip into a local McDonalds tomorrow, see if I like the interior changes....
Ray Kroc was 52 When He Started! - Wow - thanks Evan! I didn't realize Ray Kroc was already 52 when he STARTED McDonald's - it's a great story to help us all realize that if we put our minds to it we can grow our businesses quickly no matter how old we are! Julie.
Re: New McDonalds McCafe concept... - It is yet to be in South Africa. There are many McDonalds franchise here,but the concept of the coffee is not yet here or may be I should check it out tomorrow


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