Dick and Mac McDonald
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Richard "Dick" J. McDonald (February 16, 1909 – July 14, 1998) and Maurice "Mac" McDonald (November 26, 1902 – December 11, 1971) were two early American fast food pioneers, originally from Manchester, New Hampshire, who established the first McDonald's restaurant in San Bernardino, California in 1940. They introduced the "Speedy Service System" in 1948.
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[edit] History
[edit] Franchising
The brothers began franchising in 1953, beginning in Phoenix, Arizona with Neil Fox[1]. At first, they only franchised the system, not the name and atmosphere of their restaurant. It's said that when Dick went to check on Fox, he was shocked to see an exact replica of his San Bernardino store, right down to the name "McDonald's." When he asked Fox why he had kept the same design and hadn't called the restaurant "Fox's," Fox said "Why change it? It's great as it is," and from then on the brothers started franchising the entire concept. Franchised restaurants were built to a standard design, created by Fontana, California architect Stanley Clark Meston and featuring the Golden Arches, which in the early days were literally two arches, one on each side of the building (see photo). The arches were lined with pink neon that flashed sequentially. The second franchised restaurant opened in Saginaw, Michigan (1953). The third franchised restaurant was opened in Downey, California (1953) and is the oldest surviving McDonald's. Additional franchises were granted for stores in Azusa, Pomona and Alhambra, California in 1954.
In 1954 a milkshake machine salesman, Ray Kroc, became inspired by the evident financial success of the brothers' concept, immediately grasping the restaurants' enormous potential. He partnered with the brothers, and within a few years turned their small concern into the huge franchise that would become the McDonald's Corporation.[2] The franchiser took only 1.9% of the gross sales, of which the McDonald brothers got 0.5%.[2]
Kroc was not alone in seeing the potential of what the brothers had created; the Taco Bell, Hardee's, Burger Chef, Whataburger, and Burger King chains were founded by others who had visited McDonald's and attempted to duplicate it.[citation needed]
Kroc became frustrated with the brothers' willingness to accept their chain having only a handful of restaurants. In 1961, he purchased the company from the brothers. The agreement was for the McDonald brothers to receive $2.7 million for the chain.[2]
The agreement was a handshake agreement between the parties because Ray insisted he couldn't show the royalty to the investors he had lined up to capitalize his purchase. Although Kroc turned McDonald's into a global giant, its guiding principles remained largely unchanged from those the McDonald brothers had devised in 1948[citation needed].
The San Bernardino store was demolished in 1976 and the site is currently the corporate headquarters of the Juan Pollo restaurant chain. There is a private museum on site.[3] Only part of the original sign remains of the first McDonald's, but plans exist for a company-sponsored museum.
In 1984, Dick McDonald served the ceremonial 50,000,000,000th (50 billionth) McDonald's burger, having cooked the first one.[4]
[edit] Deaths
Mac McDonald died of cancer in 1971.
Richard "Dick" McDonald died in Manchester, New Hampshire in 1998, at the age of 89. His wife, Dorothy died soon after. He has a stepson, Gale French.[5]
[edit] Notes
- ^ http://www.mcdonalds.ca/pdfs/history_final.pdf
- ^ a b c Business Stories of All Time: Ray Kroc; John Wiley & Sons; 1996.
- ^ Welcome to the Historic Site Of The First McDonalds
- ^ picture and story in Spanish language, May 30, 2004 at El Mundo.
- ^ "Fast food supremo dies" July 15, 1998. BBC News. Accessed January 6, 2007.
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