Author: John F. Love

Publisher: Bantam; Rev Sub edition

Pub. in: July, 1995

ISBN: 0553347594

Pages: 496

Measurements: 9 x 6 x 1.1 inches

Origin of product: USA

Order code: BA01169

Other information: ISBN-13: 978-0553347593

The story behind the ubiquitous golden arches, and the man who expanded them coast to coast, (and today they reach edges of the Earth). This book provides a reader friendly, detailed synopsis of MacDonald's through the decades of the original brother to Ray Kroc entry and exit of on of the most recognized emblems of the world. (Whether this fact is has positive or negative implications is another matter entirely). This is a good book about Mickey-D's and sheds light on many other aspects of American history, culture, business and advertising.

Two brothers named McDonald went west to California from the north-east. They came with about $8 dollars and got jobs moving props on movie sets in Hollywood (sound familiar?) After some initial business ventures the brothers opened their own small restaurant in San Bernadino.

In the Midwest Ray Kroc left school at 16, and like almost all other achievers that reached his level of success, he had a strong work ethic and a hard-driving tenacity to succeed at a concept that in+tial+ly proved successful. How ya build on something good. A gifted successful salesman from an early age, he got a job selling paper cups and sold them for 17 years as one of the top salesman of the company. Some of his clients were Wrigley field among other Chicago establishments. In his late thirties, he started selling shake mixers. McDonald's comes into the picture when Kroc noticed that two brothers who owned a drive-in hamburger restaurant in SoCal, kept ordering lots of shake mixing machines, when Kroc's mixer business was dying out everywhere else in the country. He met the McDonald brothers and was greatly impressed by their practices. Kroc become the seller of their franchises in Illinois, and was very successful at establishing and McD's in the Midwest.

For his work he didn't earn a lot because of the deal he made with the two brothers (an inkling of what was to come). So he added a creative and logical way to profit from his diligent work in spreading the franchises. He formed a separate corporation, and when setting up franchises he'd purchase the property where a new McDonald's was to be built. He'd collect the rent or a percentage of the restaurant's profits, whichever was greater. This allowed him to be compensated more fully in addition to his original deal with the McDonald brothers, which wasn't the most favorable.

Kroc was selling the franchises and focusing on keeping the model and SOPs identical for every franchise. Perhaps an analogy to the assembly line of the Ford. Kroc had a methodology. If a winning method was not altered or diluted by a franchise restaurant here and there across the country, the sales, expansion, and growth would continue. McDonald's had tapped into what a large part of the American public wanted in post WWII America. Ray later bought McDonald's from the McDonald brothers for $2.7 million cash. When he discovered after the deal was finished that the original McD restaurant in San Bernadino was not included, and was to be kept by the brothers, Kroc had them change their restaurants name, and he built a franchise across the street to put them out of business.

Advertising:

To help solidify more growth and consumer loyalty, Kroc knew the value of kids. He hired top advertising people: enter Ronald McDonald. After some marketing tests in some particular regions, came the major nationwide promotion to get the kiddies pleading with their parents that they wanted to go to Mickey-Ds. Have you heard kids clamour their parents to do this? I have. And today, McDonald's has continued the kid-concept by investing large amounts into the Playgrounds added onto many of its' stores.

McDonald's represents many things about American culture. To Americans, and today throughout the world. No matter what you think of Mickey D's it's quite an interesting story of how it started, evolved and came to it's ubiquity today. It's a fact that those golden arches are more recognized than the Christian cross. Again, whether we think that's good or not leads to several other issues involving, chemicals and food science, general health, obesity, globalization, homogenization, marketing to children, and corporatization.

For additional insights into the McDonald's phenomenon read, Jennifer Talwar's "Fast Food, Fast Track" and Eric Schlosser's "Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal," and Fumento's "Fatland."

(From quoting K. Johnson, USA)

Better with I'd Like the World to Buy a Coke: The Life and Leadership of Roberto Goizueta :

			2 Buy with : ¥ 376.00
			Quantity:  +112345678910