Ray Kroc By Taylor Wyatt

Ray Kroc Ray Kroc was born on October 5, 1902 – January 14, 1984

Founder of McDonald's Corp. Founded: 1955 "The definition of salesmanship is the gentle art of letting the customer have it your way."-Ray Kroc When Ray Kroc was a child, his father took him to a phrenologist-a practitioner who claimed he could predict the future by reading the bumps on a person's head. Kroc's chart revealed that his future would be in the food- service industry. Whether through psychic power or sheer luck, the phrenologist proved to be correct. Uniquely adroit at identifying popular trends, Kroc would go on to lay the foundation for the modern fast-food industry and champion the world's No. 1 fast-food chain. Founder of McDonald's Corp. Founded: 1955

Ray Kroc believed that the success of his company lay in his franchisees following "the McDonald's Method" to the letter. To ensure this, he developed a 75-page manual that outlined every aspect of running a McDonald's operation. Nothing was left to interpretation. Burgers had to be exactly 1.6 ounces, served with a quarter ounce of onion, a teaspoon of mustard and a tablespoon of ketchup. Fries had to be cut at nine-thirty seconds of an inch thick. The manual even specified how often the restaurant needed to be cleaned. In 1961, Kroc came up with a way to gain even greater control over his franchisees. In the basement of a McDonald's in Elk Grove, Illinois, he opened a training center that would eventually become Hamburger University, where students earned their degrees in "Hamburger ology" with a minor in French fries. Hamburger U

In 1917, 15-year-old Ray Kroc lied about his age to join the Red Cross as an ambulance driver, but the war ended before he completed his training. He then worked as a piano player, a paper cup salesman and a Multi- mixer salesman. n 1954, he visited a restaurant in San Bernardino, California that had purchased several Multi-mixers. There he found a small but successful restaurant run by brothers Dick and Mac McDonald, and was stunned by the effectiveness of their operation. They produced a limited menu, concentrating on just a few items—burgers, fries and beverages—which allowed them to focus on quality and quick service. Kroc pitched his vision of creating McDonald’s restaurants all over the U.S. to the brothers. In 1955, he founded McDonald’s System, Inc., a predecessor of the McDonald’s Corporation, and six years later bought the exclusive rights to the McDonald’s name. By 1958, McDonald’s had sold its 100 millionth hamburger. The Ray Kroc Story

In 1974, Kroc decided to retire from being CEO of McDonald's In 1974, Kroc decided to retire from being CEO of McDonald's. While he was looking for new jobs, he decided to get back into baseball, his lifelong favorite sport, when he learned that the San Diego Padres were for sale. The team had been conditionally sold by founding owner C. Arnholt Smith to Washington grocery-chain owner Joseph Danzansky, who planned to move the Padres to Washington.[16] However, the sale was tied up in lawsuits when Kroc purchased the team for $12 million, saving baseball in San Diego.[17][18] In Kroc's first year of ownership in 1974, the Padres lost 102 games, yet drew over one million in attendance, the standard of success in the major leagues during that era. Their previous top attendance was 644,772 in 1972.[17] The San Diego Unionsaid Kroc was "above all, a fan of his team".[18] On April 9, 1974, while the Padres were on the brink of losing a 9- 5 decision to the Houston Astros in the season opener at San Diego Stadium, Kroc took the public address microphone in front of 39,083 fans. "I’ve never seen such stupid ballplaying in my life," he said. The crowd cheered in approval.[18][19] In 1979, Kroc's public interest in future free agent players Graig Nettles and Joe Morgan drew a $100,000 fine from Commissioner Bowie Kuhn. Frustrated with the team, he handed over operations of the team to his son-in-law, Ballard Smith. "There's more future in hamburgers than baseball," Kroc said.[20] Kroc was inducted posthumously as part of the inaugural class of the San Diego Padres Hall of Fame in 1999.[21] Baseball

McDonald's McDonald's Fast food restaurant company · mcdonalds.com McDonald's is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 68 million customers daily in 119 countries across 35,000 outlets. Wikipedia Customer service: 1 (800) 244-6227 Stock price: MCD (NYSE) $111.93 -0.18 (-0.16%) Nov 3, 1:54 PM EST - Disclaimer Headquarters: Oak Brook, IL McDonald's

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