McDonald's: A Delicious Story
Disclaimer : All the pictures used in this post are taken by me from different websites. Credit given under each post
What could be simpler than a bun with a cutlet inside? But call it a hamburger, and you can create a restaurant business empire with a multi billion dollar turnover.
The whole world knows that in establishments under the big yellow letter “M” you can have a quick and satisfying meal. This global catering chain began with two brothers who decided to develop a family business.
In the late 1930s, the MacDonald family moved from Manchester to California. Brothers Maurice and Richard were inspired by the proximity of Hollywood. They, like many others, were pulled by star film studios. But a career on the big screen did not work out. They quickly got tired of working as laborers on the set, and they became disillusioned with the Hollywood radiance.
Meanwhile, their father, Patrick McDonald, opened a small restaurant, Airdome, on the road leading from the airport to San Bernardino, California. The younger McDonalds, who had abandoned the dream factories, began to help in the family business. Gradually, they realized that passing drivers most respect food that can be eaten right in the car, and hamburgers were ideal for this. This simple dish was invented by German emigrants, who came up with the idea to put not a sausage, but a cutlet in a bun, and even add vegetables to it. The menu of the McDonald family restaurant has been reduced as much as possible: it has hamburgers, cheeseburgers, milk, coffee, soda and fried potatoes. It was also decided to get rid of the waiters. Now the drivers themselves ordered what they needed and either returned to their cars or ate right at the counter.
The fast-food restaurant on a busy highway became so successful that in 1952 the brothers began to think about expanding the network. Together with architect Stanley Clark Meston, they thought about how to speed up the process of eating as much as possible. A variety of ideas were put forward, most of which were implemented. So, for example, the main hall of the restaurant was not heated, so that people would not linger in it just to warm themselves. Chairs were attached to the floor at a considerable distance from each other, which made long table conversations difficult. There was even an idea to make the seats reclining so that the diners only look at the food. At the same time, the famous "Golden Arches" appeared - the letter "M", which became a symbol of the establishments of the McDonald brothers. Two new restaurants have opened in Phoenix, Arizona and Downey, California. One of them is still working
In 1953, McDonald's in San Bernardino was visited by Ray Kroc, a mixer salesman, who wondered why a small restaurant needed eight of his devices at once. Having found out about the institutions of the McDonald brothers, the merchant decided that he had found a gold mine. He quickly quit his job and approached Maurice and Richard with an offer to expand their network to the entire United States. The brothers were initially wary of this. At that time they had six very successful points, and they did not want to take risks. But Kroc managed to convince the owners, and they allowed the former seller of mixers to open restaurants under their name. The share of McDonalds for the use of their name and idea was 0.5% of the total sales of the network.
Ray launched a vigorous activity. In just six years, he turned McDonald's into a $56 million a year company. This was in no small part due to the sharp increase in demand for cars in America: more drivers more customers in restaurants designed primarily for drivers. In 1961, Kroc even bought all the rights to their network from the brothers for $2.7 million. At today's prices, that's about $23 million. True, there was no conflict. The brothers sold all the restaurants to Ray except one the very first, in San Bernardino. This angered Kroc, and next door to him he opened his own fast food "Big M". As a result, the conflict was settled peacefully: the oldest restaurant went to Ray, and the share of the brothers from the turnover of the entire network doubled.
In 1962, a restaurant in Cincinnati ran into unforeseen difficulties. Sales dropped sharply on Fridays. It turned out that there were many Catholics living in the city who did not eat meat on Fridays. Especially for them, they invented a fish burger called filet-o-fish. The problem with falling income on Fridays was solved, and the new dish took its place on the menu of restaurants across the country.
In 1963, the network got its own symbol - the clown Ronald McDonald. Initially, his appearance was slightly different from the modern one: instead of a nose, he had a glass, and on his head was a tray with specialties. Three years later, this character became more like an ordinary clown. Thanks for this is the former resident of Riga, professional circus performer Michael Polakovs, who for many years played the role of Ronald.
In addition to the clown, little visitors are drawn to McDonald's by another lure - the famous Happy Meal children's set. It was invented in the mid-1970s at a Guatemalan chain store. They began to put the children's menu, which consisted of a hamburger, fries and ice cream in a separate box, so that the children knew that this was their part. The bosses in Chicago liked the idea, and they decided to supplement it with a small toy. In 1977, the idea was patented and the Lucky Set appeared at McDonald's.
In 1967, a significant event occurred in the history of McDonald's - the number of grilled meatballs in the main course of the network doubled. Big Mac, unlike a simple hamburger, has a specific author - chef Jim Delligatti. Visitors liked his creation so much that the next year it was on the menu of the entire network.
In 1967, McDonald's moved out of the United States. Restaurants have opened in Canada and Puerto Rico. Then the yellow letter "M" rolled around the world. The first restaurant in Europe opened in 1971 in Amsterdam, and in 1974 McDonald's appeared in London. In 1988, the first American chain restaurant penetrated the iron curtain - a fast food establishment opened in Budapest. Two years later, a huge line of people wishing to taste the coveted Big Mac lined up on Pushkin Square in Moscow. At that time, the first fast food establishment in the capital of the USSR was the largest in the world.
Most McDonald's menu items are sold in restaurants around the world, with some countries adding something different to the list of dishes. For example, in some places in France they make cheeseburgers with different types of cheese that this country is famous for. In Germany they sell beer and McRib - a sandwich with a pork cutlet. In Britain, in the morning you can order options for a traditional English breakfast. They say that Queen Elizabeth II liked McDonald's so much that she allowed to open one point on the lands belonging to the crown. The interior of this establishment is more reminiscent of a solid restaurant than an ordinary fast food.
The love of hamburgers unites people all over the world. This is proved by the empire created by Ray Kroc and bearing the name of the McDonald brothers. Today it consists of 40,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries and is worth $54 billion. Not bad for something that started with a cutlet stuffed into a bun 🍔
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I love McDonald's my friend. I love their chicken. When I was still working in my first job we always ate at McDonald's.