Today, McDonald's is the most popular representative of the fast food industry in the world. This is the place for family holidays and romantic dates, meetings with friends and just quick snacks during the lunch break. At the same time, the presence of McDonald's eateries in our lives has become so familiar, and the system of their work and service is so flexible and streamlined that it is difficult for us to imagine that this was not always the case.
Meanwhile, the founder of McDonald’s, whose biography is replete not only with successful ideas and fulfilled desires, but also with a series of failures and crises, once made an incredible amount of effort to keep this system afloat safely. Of course, this is not only about Ray Crock, who managed to adopt and improve the speed service system in the McDonald's restaurant chain. We are talking about those huge collectives of workers who worked in this system. And of course, about the brothers Dick and Maurice MacDonald, whose name and technology Ray Krok borrowed from his business.
Founder of McDonalds
The biography of Ray Kroc (1902-1984), an American businessman, pioneer of fast-food eateries, is proof that you must always believe in success, at any age, despite the various vicissitudes of fate. The beginning of work on the organization of the McDonald's network was already in the solid years of Ray. By that time, he already had several serious physical illnesses (one of which was diabetes). However, this did not stop the entrepreneur in his career. Activity, creativity and discipline - these are the main components of the success of Ray Crock.
Carier start
Ray Croc was born on October 5, 1902 in the state of Illinois (Chicago). He was the eldest of three children. The difficult financial situation in the family did not give the boy the opportunity to get a good education (Ray graduated from only ten classes). However, young Krok believed that hard work would ultimately lead him to success. He tried to start his first business at the age of 15, selling his musical instruments and notes with his friends.
After returning from the front (World War I), Krok got married and began working as a seller of paper cups. During this period, his entrepreneurial spirit and creative approach to business began to appear. So, the future founder of McDonald’s comes up with the idea of organizing home water delivery. However, his idea is not supported. Then Krok arranges the first test delivery of water for free. This marketing move not only worked, but was a huge success. Krok's next invention is a multimixer - a device that allows you to whip five cocktails at the same time (1937). Ray even organizes his own business selling multifunctional mixers. However, it took two years before the product gradually began to conquer the market.
Meet the MacDonalds
In 1954, Krok met the MacDonald brothers - Dick and Maurice, who owned a small restaurant in San Bernardino (California). In this institution eight Ray mixers were used. But this did not attract the attention of a businessman. The restaurant’s special feature was a system of fast customer service: serving fried potatoes, hamburgers, milkshakes, etc. For example, 40 milkshakes were prepared at the same time. High-speed service was built at the expense of an in-line production line for order service.In addition, all dishes were inexpensive, and therefore affordable for the general public. The restaurant itself was clean and tidy, all employees wore uniforms, which also made a positive impression.
What he saw surprised Croc so much that he offered the McDonald brothers cooperation. Dick and Maurice refused to expand production. But they agreed to an agreement, according to which Krok gets the right to replicate MacDonald’s business using their name, and they get 0.5% of the revenue.
The Rebirth of McDonalds
In the process of selling new types of eateries, Ray is improving the speed service system. Now each employee had to perform exactly one operation. Since the menu included a fairly limited number of dishes, such a move was justified. In addition, strict discipline was required from all employees. The founder of McDonald’s liked to repeat the phrase, which later became famous: “Man is nothing by himself. The main thing is the organization. ”
The exact calculation was used by Crock in the preparation of dishes. So, for example, a hamburger cutlet was made strictly according to the specifications: weight - 1.6 ounces (about 45 g), diameter - 3.875 inches (about 10 cm), fat content - not more than 19%, etc. All burgers had the same size and high quality. In order to maintain the accuracy of the production process, Krok even creates a special laboratory. And in 1961, the founder of McDonald's holds classes in a special training program (the so-called University of Hamburger). New scientific methods for successfully managing a fast food restaurant were introduced to licensees and sellers.
Ray introduces a white army-style uniform for his staff. The discipline in the organization also resembled an army. By the way, this was the main reason why Krok did not hire women for the first time, for fear of amorous affairs that could disrupt a strict military order. Subsequently, the girls still began to be allowed to work, but they preferred to take less attractive ones.
In 1961, the MacDonald brothers agree to completely transfer Krok into possession of their brand, giving them freedom of control. It should be noted that they estimated the letter M (the famous McDonald's logo) at $ 2.7 million.
First Big Mac
The high productivity of Krok's restaurants, which the first McDonald's could hardly differ, nevertheless had its drawbacks. Due to fear of slowing the pace of the dispensing conveyor, Ray was forced to refuse to include new dishes in his menu. Gradually, visitors began to complain about the uniformity of the diet - they were tired of eating the same foods every day. All attempts to improve the quality of existing dishes have failed. And this despite the fact that more than $ 3 million was spent on the secret of special frying of potatoes alone!
Then the founder of McDonald's tried to introduce dessert dishes into the assortment of eateries (Bohemian cakes, strawberry layer cake, etc.). However, this idea failed just like the idea of selling special meatless hamburgers for Catholics on Fridays.
The situation was saved by one of Croc's employees, Jim Delligatti. At his own risk, he offers a new hamburger - a two-story one, with various additives and a special sauce. So, in 1967, the first bigmack appeared on the outskirts of Pittsburgh. The new dish was so appealing to diner visitors that within two months, sales increased by 12%. Subsequently, bigmack became one of the most popular dishes of the McDonald's network. Following him on the menu are such innovations as egg makmafin, a large roast and apple pie.
History reference
Initially, the story of McDonald’s was associated directly with the biography of the founder of the company.At the same time, Ray Krok partially began to lose his own personality - so successfully he personified the success of his company. The biographical stories used, in spite of a rather superficial character, were romantic stories, which clearly contributed to the promotion of the McDonalds network.
It is interesting that one of the reasons why the founder of the McDonald's network decided to use someone else's name in his business was because his own last name could not match the image of the fast food restaurant chain, as it was consonant with the word rogue ("scammer" )
As for the internal work of the company, then McDonald's prefers to maintain corporate anonymity. So, executive management, for example, tries to avoid participating in all kinds of industry associations and industrial exhibitions. McDonald’s also refuses to give interviews to the business press. As John F. Love notes, the outside of a fast-food restaurant chain is considered to be such a familiar attribute of Americans' daily lives that inner work is taken for granted.
McDonald's for children
Currently, in the framework of various cafes and eateries, playgrounds are actively used. Turning a meal for a child into a real celebration is a good marketing move in itself. Children's McDonald’s is gaining more and more popularity around the world. And this is not surprising, because what kind of kid does not want to eat tasty food, and even get a gift in the form of a toy!
Each visitor is greeted by the provocative clown Ronald MacDonald with a yellow letter "M" on his chest (McDonald's logo). Interesting contests, entertainments and, of course, Happy Mil with a treasured toy in a little bag-chest are waiting for you in the playroom of the little birthday. By the way, the toy, as in the Kinder surprise, is always different (sometimes it turns out to be the hero of a cartoon, for example, minions). In 1987, Happy Milly toys become the characters of Disney animated films. Where the McDonald’s is located, children's laughter is always heard. It is worth noting that a toy from the Happy Mil can be purchased separately from the rest of the menu.
However, such a thorough approach to the children's set began to manifest itself mainly in recent years. Initially, the toy served as just a small pleasant addition to food - a sort of small trifle (a flying saucer, a ball, etc.). Happy Milk children's lunch includes a chicken burger (bun, cutlet, cabbage), french fries and juice. And in 2011, healthy ingredients are added to the children's menu - apple slices and carrot sticks.
Happy Meal - Happy Meal - is considered the author of the children's lunch. The first such set with the image of a circus trailer on the packaging appeared in 1979 in the United States.
Opening of the first McDonald's in Russia
In our country, the first McDonald's opened in the distant 1990, of course, in Moscow (Pushkin Square). This was the first experience of foreign fast food in Russia. A kilometer queue formed in front of the restaurant from those wishing to “taste the taste of capitalism” (Sitnikov A., “4 interesting facts about McDonald's”). And this despite the fact that the price tags of the newly-made import catering were clearly not affordable for the average Muscovite - 1.5 rubles. for a hamburger and 3.75 rubles for a bigmack.
Sales volumes
The company has always encouraged various kinds of messages that focus customer attention on sales volumes of hamburgers. The marketing story of McDonald’s begins in 1950, when the McDonald brothers set a neon sign on the front of their drive (California): “Over a million sold.” And in 1984, the chain sells its already fifty-millionth burger and opens an eight-thousandth restaurant (Love John F. "McDonalds. What is Bigmac silent about?").
Interesting facts about McDonald's
Over the long history of its successful existence, McDonalds has accumulated many interesting facts that are probably unknown to most fast food fans. For example:
- According to statistics, the average American eats about four servings of potatoes and three hamburgers every week.
- The McDonalds chain uses white meat from specially bred chickens for its Chicken McNuggets dish. This breed is distinguished by large breasts and is called "Mr. McDonald's." Also interesting is the fact that, thanks to this species, the chicken was not sold as a whole, as before, but specially cut into pieces.
- Among American preschool children, 96% immediately recognize Ronald MacDonald, a famous clown (a symbol of the company that convinces the public to have a burger bite). This is a record percentage of recognition among children - only Santa Claus is higher. Ronald MacDonald was invented by the American actor Willard Scott in 1963, the artist himself and played for the first time this role in several advertising projects of a chain of fast food restaurants.
However, not all known (and especially little-known) facts characterize the company from the best side.
Flavor enhancers
The researchers found that our brain can concentrate on the individual tastes and smells that surround us, while filtering out most of the others. With age, due to certain physiological characteristics, the sense of taste decreases. In this regard, much attention in the development of technologies of the McDonald's network is paid to children and the so-called "products of happiness." It is assumed that these dishes, first tested in childhood and causing a bright positive taste sensation, will be associated with joy and comfort in a child. Subsequently, the memories of “happy food” will motivate an already matured person to go to McDonald’s during a period of, for example, depression.
Various highly paid specialists are involved in creating the “taste of happiness” formula. Their close attention is primarily aimed at studying the reaction of epithelial cells in the process of exposure to certain taste enhancers. Statistics show that adult Americans who visited McDonald’s as a child, wanting to feel happy again, eat an average of four servings of French fries (Schlosser, E. “Fast Food Nation”).
In fairness, it should be noted that McDonald's is far from being the most abusive company in the field of flavor enhancers. For example, a wide resonance among pro-life activists was caused by Pepsi’s permission to use cells grown on the basis of abortive tissues for taste enhancers.
Odor enhancers
Fragrant technology for every McDonald's dish is also kept a closely guarded secret. However, it is known that the main smell of the fast-food restaurant chain, which its visitors like so much, is the product of a complex production process that was created using special chemical odor enhancers, and not just the aroma of freshly prepared food.
Perhaps it is precisely the knowledge of McDonald’s main course cooking technologies that explains the fact that company leaders themselves prefer a completely different meal to them. So, in the memoirs of working at McDonald’s, Jeffrey Giuliano, an actor who played the role of the clown Ronald MacDonald in an advertising campaign in Canada for a year and a half, says the following: “At first it struck me that the restaurant management itself didn’t eat its products! They had an upscale cook who prepared normal food. ”
Another well-known character who became such in connection with a lawsuit won against a fast-food restaurant chain is chef and TV host Jamie Oliver.McDonald's, claiming that its products were so cheap due to gigantic bulk purchases of meat, had to admit the true reason for this situation. So, according to Oliver, we are talking about the use of poor-quality meat raw materials (production waste) in the preparation of dishes, which are subsequently given the presentation as a result of lengthy chemical processing. Oliver writes that such products may be applicable except for dogs - for humans, such food is simply contraindicated.
It is interesting that even the world famous Disney company, which collaborated with McDonald's from 1987 to 2007 and released a series of toys for Happy Mil lunch, ultimately did not renew the contract with him, switching to healthier food. Despite the fact that the fast food sector in the catering industry is an actual type of activity that will be in high demand for a long time, the tendencies towards the development of a healthy lifestyle are growing more and more in modern society. And food in this case plays not the last role.
