McDonald’s fast-food chain is the largest network by revenue of its kind, connected to “feed and foster communities.” The company owes its success to one man, Raymond Albert Kroc who took the company to newfound heights.
A glance into the making:
The leading global foodservice brand was the product of the making of Siblings Richard and Maurice McDonald. They started with a small restaurant called “McDonald’s” at 1398 North E Street at West 14th Street in San Bernardino, California. But the major part of the success of the brand is rightly due to Ray Kroc, the franchise agent. He founded the McDonald’s System, Inc., in 1955 which is a predecessor of the current form of McDonald’s Corporation.
In the year 1961, McDonald’s first filed for a U.S. trademark on the name “McDonald’s” with the description “Drive-In Restaurant Services” and it gets renewed to this date. Moreover, the year bears significance in the calendar of history as the best fast-food chain also for the fact that Ray Kroc bought the exclusive rights to the McDonald’s name and operating system and started on the embarking journey of popularizing it worldwide.
In Kroc’s autobiography, he mentioned the rift between him and the McDonald brothers during the shift of power. The conflict of interest gave rise to an ego boost leading him to carry a complete buy-out of the food chain at $2.7 million. Kroc continued the McDonald brother’s assembly line “Speedee Service System” for hamburger preparation and standardized operation as a significant step to ensure that burgers taste the same in all the restaurants across the world.
Kroc made strict rules for the franchisees to emphasize cooking methods and time duration, right ingredients, and packaging. Moreover, he did not employ any cost reduction measures like soybean filler in the hamburger patties. He tried to keep the whole customer service procedure highly ethical, so much so that customers who did not receive the proper orders or had more waiting time than five minutes are to be refunded the money.
At the time of Kroc’s death in 1984, the chain had 7,500 outlets in the United States and 31 other countries and territories. The total system-wide sales of its restaurants were more than $8 billion in 1983, and his fortune amounted to some $600 million.
Food Quality:
The ingredients are sourced by keeping into account the interest of farmers, ranchers, and producers who grow them along with the aim of serving good quality uniform products to customers across the world. The McDonald’s food service chain in operation is one of the most efficient, integrated, and innovative supply systems with zero percent tolerance to any defamation in quality.
In order to train more people on methods of functioning a McDonald’s restaurant successfully, Kroc launched a program in 1961 later called Hamburger University in Elk Grove Village, Illinois. This program used a research and development laboratory in nearby Addison, Illinois, and developed new cooking, freezing, storing, and serving methods.
Products:
McDonald’s core specialization is in Hamburgers. With time now the menu has become inclusive of various other products like different types of chicken, chicken sandwiches, French fries, soft drinks, breakfast items, and desserts. To everyone’s delight, the menu also serves salads and vegetable items. The company is trying to include healthier options on the menu. It has already removed artificial preservatives from Chicken McNuggets and high-fructose corn syrup from hamburger buns. The company is committed to providing secure and sustainable foods to its customers.
In November 2020 the company announced its plan to introduce McPlant, a plant-based burger, and to develop more alternatives to meat-based products. The successful testing of ‘Beyond Meat’, a plant-based meat substitute by Ethan Brown has led to this recent development.
Internationally, the McDonald’s chain is also heedful about the socio-political codes of different countries. For instance, the religious prohibition of beef consumption in India, and hence, there are variants in the menus based on the place ethics.
Giving back to the Community:
Ray Kroc has always envisioned and firmly believed in giving back to society. The company provides a space where people from diverse backgrounds could come together and feel united. Every year, the McDonald’s chain helps people in times of need and crisis with their hot meals and millions of pounds of food from their supply chain.
The company is also running the chain of Ronald McDonald House Charities® (RMHC®) to provide a helping hand to children diagnosed with a critical illness. These charity houses provide the best quality health care facilities to these children and an environment where they can stay united with their families during the unfortunate health hazard. The company’s vision gets illuminated by means of independent franchises across the world through which they have upheld and extended their reach to make an impact.
Karan Makan
Technology Engineer and Entrepreneur. Currently working with International Brands and helping them scale their products Globally through different ventures. He owns Multiple Food Brands and is on a continuous spree to acquire many more businesses in the coming years. With over 10 years of experience and strong background in Brand Acquisition, Karan Makan is soon poised to be a Brand in the coming years.
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