6 ms·

The Story of How McDonald’s First Got Its Start

68 points by samclemens 10y ago

deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
M_Grey 10y ago
This is more like the corporate legend of McDonald's. It actually has very little to do with what McDonald's became when Ray Kroc got his hands on it, and that's literally only introduced in the last line of the article.
- yeahbuttitle444 10y ago
  Yeah, and? Given the title it seems appropriate.
- hudibras 10y ago
  I'm pretty sure the author is aware of this, since this is an excerpt from her upcoming book about Ray and Joan Kroc.
dharmon 10y ago
Despite the tone of the article, Kroc did not just swoop in and capitalize off of the Brothers' genius. If anything, they were an albatross around the company's neck, as their contract specified that Kroc basically wasn't allowed to change anything. Fortunately they got "creative" to get around these restrictions. If you are interested how McDonald's became a company that is recognized around the globe, I would highly recommend the book Behind the Arches. A very interesting corporate study. One of my favorite anecdotes: 80-year old Kroc's favorite pastimes was flying around in a prop plane with a highway map scouting out potential McD locations.
- gordon_freeman 10y ago
  I am curious -- how does this book "Behind the Arches" compare to another book on McDonald's story: "Grinding it out"?
- WalterBright 10y ago
  "Big Mac" by Max Boas is another one, though not a very complimentary one.
- mattnumbe 10y ago
  According to the Wikipedia article on Kroc, soon enough you won't have to read his story because Michael Keaton will be playing him in the movie The Founder coming out in December. Really interesting guy though. I had no idea about all the positive things he did while he was in control of McDonald's
ajeet_dhaliwal 10y ago
The brothers seemed like the typical startup style hustlers of today. What struck me most however was this quote: "Soon, they believed, the work week would shrink to under four days, leaving Americans with abundant leisure time in which to tool around in their cars—and stop to eat." I didn't realize this idea was so old and we're not really any closer.
- agumonkey 10y ago
  The arrow of human time is curved.
- zeroer 10y ago
  You can fit your work into a fraction of a typical workweek and still maintain a 1950s-esque lifestyle. But the job market frowns on people working less than 40 hours per week, so if you want to go this route, the thing to do is work full time, save, live frugally and retire early. It's not the easiest thing to do, but it is possible. I know because I did it, retiring at 34.
  - flukus 10y ago
    How many of us do you think could work 32 hours a week on a single income to support a family, a home loan, a car, etc?
    - kw71 10y ago
      This is why I made my money before having a family. The downside to this is I'm going to be in my 60's when my first kid graduates highschool. But in the meantime I have plenty of time to spend with the most important people in my life.
      - TorKlingberg 10y ago
        This strategy also doesn't work well for women.
      - ajeet_dhaliwal 10y ago
slantaclaus 10y ago
'Grinding It Out' by Ray Kroc is without a doubt the best business founder autobiography I have ever read.
eliaspro 10y ago
Mark Knopfler wrote a great song about this story - Boom, Like That. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvj4svKcjl0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvj4svKcjl0

68 points by samclemens 10y ago

deleted 10y ago

[deleted]

This is more like the corporate legend of McDonald's. It actually has very little to do with what McDonald's became when Ray Kroc got his hands on it, and that's literally only introduced in the last line of the article.

yeahbuttitle444 10y ago
Yeah, and? Given the title it seems appropriate.
hudibras 10y ago
I'm pretty sure the author is aware of this, since this is an excerpt from her upcoming book about Ray and Joan Kroc.

dharmon 10y ago

Despite the tone of the article, Kroc did not just swoop in and capitalize off of the Brothers' genius. If anything, they were an albatross around the company's neck, as their contract specified that Kroc basically wasn't allowed to change anything. Fortunately they got "creative" to get around these restrictions. If you are interested how McDonald's became a company that is recognized around the globe, I would highly recommend the book Behind the Arches. A very interesting corporate study. One of my favorite anecdotes: 80-year old Kroc's favorite pastimes was flying around in a prop plane with a highway map scouting out potential McD locations.

gordon_freeman 10y ago
I am curious -- how does this book "Behind the Arches" compare to another book on McDonald's story: "Grinding it out"?
WalterBright 10y ago
"Big Mac" by Max Boas is another one, though not a very complimentary one.
mattnumbe 10y ago
According to the Wikipedia article on Kroc, soon enough you won't have to read his story because Michael Keaton will be playing him in the movie The Founder coming out in December. Really interesting guy though. I had no idea about all the positive things he did while he was in control of McDonald's

ajeet_dhaliwal 10y ago

The brothers seemed like the typical startup style hustlers of today. What struck me most however was this quote: "Soon, they believed, the work week would shrink to under four days, leaving Americans with abundant leisure time in which to tool around in their cars—and stop to eat." I didn't realize this idea was so old and we're not really any closer.

agumonkey 10y ago
The arrow of human time is curved.
zeroer 10y ago
You can fit your work into a fraction of a typical workweek and still maintain a 1950s-esque lifestyle. But the job market frowns on people working less than 40 hours per week, so if you want to go this route, the thing to do is work full time, save, live frugally and retire early. It's not the easiest thing to do, but it is possible. I know because I did it, retiring at 34.
- flukus 10y ago
  How many of us do you think could work 32 hours a week on a single income to support a family, a home loan, a car, etc?
  - kw71 10y ago
    This is why I made my money before having a family. The downside to this is I'm going to be in my 60's when my first kid graduates highschool. But in the meantime I have plenty of time to spend with the most important people in my life.
    - TorKlingberg 10y ago
      This strategy also doesn't work well for women.
    - ajeet_dhaliwal 10y ago

slantaclaus 10y ago

'Grinding It Out' by Ray Kroc is without a doubt the best business founder autobiography I have ever read.

eliaspro 10y ago

Mark Knopfler wrote a great song about this story - Boom, Like That. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvj4svKcjl0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvj4svKcjl0