Richard and Maurice McDonald
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| Richard McDonald | |
|---|---|
| Born | Richard James McDonald February 16, 1909 Manchester, New Hampshire, U.S. |
| Died | July 14, 1998 (aged 89) Bedford, New Hampshire, U.S. |
| Resting place | Mount Calvary Cemetery Manchester, New Hampshire, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Dick McDonald |
| Occupation | Entrepreneur |
| Maurice McDonald | |
|---|---|
| Born | Maurice James McDonald November 26, 1902 Manchester, New Hampshire, U.S. |
| Died | December 11, 1971 (aged 69) Riverside, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Mount Calvary Cemetery Manchester, New Hampshire, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Mac McDonald |
| Occupation | Entrepreneur |
Richard James "Dick" McDonald (February 16, 1909 – July 14, 1998) and his brother, Maurice James "Mac" McDonald (November 26, 1902 – December 11, 1971) were early American fast food pioneers, who established the first McDonald's restaurant at 1398 North E Street at West 14th Street in San Bernardino, California (at 34°07′32″N 117°17′41″W / 34.1255°N 117.2946°W) in 1940.[1] They introduced the "Speedee Service System" in 1948.[citation needed]
The McDonald family was of Scottish origin. In the US Federal Census of 1910, both brothers (Maurice as "Morris") appear in Manchester ward 8, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, along with their father – Patrick J. McDonald, who emigrated in 1877 as a baby. Their mother Margarete emigrated to the USA in 1884 as a child. In 1937, Patrick opened "The Airdrome" restaurant on Huntington Drive (Route 66) near the airport in Monrovia, California. In 1940, the entire restaurant was moved 40 miles (64 km) east to San Bernardino and renamed "McDonald's". McDonald's is now probably the most popular chain of public restaurants in the world.
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[edit] Franchise history
The McDonald brothers began franchising their successful restaurant chain in 1953, beginning in Phoenix, Arizona with Neil Fox.[1] The brothers' goal was to make one million dollars before they were fifty. At first, they only franchised the system, rather than the name and atmosphere of their restaurant. It has been said[by whom?] that, when Richard 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 name, rather than calling the restaurant "Fox's," Fox said "Why change it? It's great as it is".[cite this quote] From then on, the brothers started franchising the entire concept.
Franchised McDonald's Restaurants were built to a standard design, created by Fontana, California architect Stanley Clark Meston and featuring Richard's suggestion of the Golden Arches. In the early days, there were two arches – one on each side of the building. The arches were lined with pink neon that flashed sequentially and, when seen at an angle, formed the letter "M" for McDonald's.
The second franchised restaurant was opened at 10207 Lakewood Blvd. at Florence Ave. in Downey, California (at 33°56′50″N 118°07′06″W / 33.9471°N 118.1182°W), the same year. As of 2012[update], the Downey restaurant remains the oldest operating McDonald's franchise [1]. Additional franchises were granted for stores in Azusa, Pomona and Alhambra, California, in 1954.
[edit] Ray Kroc
In 1954, Ray Kroc, who was a milkshake machine salesman at the time,[citation needed] 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 idea into the huge franchise that would become the McDonald's Corporation.[2] The franchiser took 1.9 percent of the gross sales, of which the McDonald brothers got 0.5 percent.[2]
Kroc became frustrated with the brothers' desire to maintain only a small number of restaurants. In 1961, he purchased the company from the brothers for $2.7 million.[2]
The agreement was a handshake agreement between the parties. Kroc insisted on a verbal agreement due to his desire to keep the full royalty price from the investors he had lined up to capitalize on his purchase.[citation needed]
Although Kroc turned McDonald's into a global giant, its guiding principles remained largely unchanged from those the McDonald brothers had developed in 1948.[citation needed]
[edit] Legacy
The San Bernardino store was demolished in 1976 (or 1971, according to Juan Pollo) and the site was sold to the Juan Pollo restaurant chain. It now serves as headquarters for the Juan Pollo chain, as well as a McDonald's and Route 66 museum.[3]
On November 20th, 1984, having been the first cook behind the grill, Richard McDonald was served the ceremonial 50,000,000,000th (50 billionth) McDonald's hamburger by Ed Rensi, then president of McDonald's USA, at the Grand Hyatt hotel in New York City.[4][5][6]
[edit] Deaths
Maurice J. McDonald died in Riverside, California, on December 11, 1971, at the age of 69. His younger brother, Richard, died in Manchester, New Hampshire, on July 14, 1998, at the age of 89.[7][5]
Richard's wife, Dorothy, died soon after. Richard and Dorothy are survived by Dorothy's son, Gale French.[8]
[edit] References
- ^ a b http://www.aboutmcdonalds.com/mcd/our_company/mcd_history.html
- ^ a b c Business Stories of All Time: Ray Kroc; John Wiley & Sons; 1996.
- ^ "McDonalds Museum". Juan Pollo. http://juanpollo.com/route-66-attractions/mcdonalds-museum/. Retrieved 2012-05-14.
- ^ Anderson, Susan Heller; David W. Dunlap (1984-11-21). The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/1984/11/21/nyregion/new-york-day-by-day-50-billion-and-still-cooking.html. Retrieved 2012-05-14.
- ^ a b "Restaurant Innovator Richard McDonald Dies at 89: Pioneered McDonald's, World's Largest Restaurant System". Hotel Online. July 1998. http://www.hotel-online.com/News/PressReleases1998_3rd/July98_DickMcDonald.html. Retrieved 2012-05-14.
- ^ picture and story in Spanish language, May 30, 2004 at El Mundo.
- ^ Gilpin, Kenneth N. (1998-07-16). "Richard McDonald, 89, Fast-Food Revolutionary". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/1998/07/16/business/richard-mcdonald-89-fast-food-revolutionary.html. Retrieved 2012-05-14.
- ^ "Fast food supremo dies" July 15, 1998. BBC News. Accessed January 6, 2007.
[edit] External links
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