Melissa Montemayor

Mr. Skipper

Encounters 7

February 14, 2022

I'm Lovin’ It

Introduction

Customers try to resist going to McDonalds, but end up giving it a good rating. In the 1990s,  McDonald's had  billions of dollars in sales making it the #1 fast food chain in the world. Marjorie Coeyman in her article stated “They provided a convenience and consistency that were just what people were looking for at the time” which is the reason for their success. Other than a food order being what the customers were expecting to receive, the customer obtained something else that was anticipated but not asked for which was making the person think positively of McDonald's. Even though the McDonald brothers  experienced challenges in their early life, they did not give up and searched for a path to make the future superior for everybody including themselves (Stice). The brothers accomplished many things, despite having pitfalls, problems and disowning McDonalds. Richard and Maurice McDonald are one of the best fast food founders because they changed people’s lives with their business and created millions of jobs.

Early Life

The McDonald brothers had a conflicting early life that then influenced them to aim for a significant achievement and a better life. Richard and Maurice McDonald were born in the early 1900s in New Hampshire. During their childhood, they saw that their father was struggling financially. Their father worked as a shift manager in a shoe factory and was unemployed due to old age. They knew that staying in the Hampshire community would not lead them to success in wealth. The situation with their father influenced the brothers to try something for great accomplishments with just high school diplomas. For example, Joel Stice states that ¨According to the New England Historical Society, they vowed to be millionaires by age 50 — exactly the opposite of where their dad had been at that age¨. The McDonald brothers put their goal high, and many people ended up liking their restaurant and became a big success (Coeyman). The brothers wanted to direct and produce movies and got a job at the Colombia Movie Studios for $25 a week. The McDonald brothers then saved what money they had to open a movie theater. When the brothers opened the movie theater, they were always behind the bills since it was also during the Great Depression (Stice). The times got so poor that they buried silver in their backyard for whether or not they were going to close the bank. Seven years later, the brothers sold their theater and went to try working in the food profession. Even though they tried in the food industry, it did not go straight to McDonald's. But, it did go uphill, ¨sales soon topped $200,000 a year¨ (Klein). The brothers did have a troublesome childhood, but they knew their way through the problems.

Beginning of Career

Richard and Maurice were influenced to start their career and learnt important lessons when beginning the occupation of McDonald's. The main reason why the brothers started their career is because of their harsh childhood. The McDonald brothers wanted a better life than the poor one they had back in New Hampshire and they knew they had to start at a job to improve financially. The brothers left the town and tried opening a movie theater, so ¨the brothers bought the 750-seat Mission theater 20 miles outside of Los Angeles, put in a snack bar, and renamed it the Beacon¨ (Stice). The theater did not last too long and the brothers struggled maintaining it due to all the bills they had to pay. So, in 1940¨They opened their barbecue restaurant in San Bernardino, the world's first McDonald's restaurant¨ (Reed). The barbeque restaurant ¨started out serving up barbeque slow-cooked for hours in a pit stocked with hickory chips imported from Arkansas¨ (Klein). The brothers then saw and learned that the burger was the item being most selled, so they closed the restaurant and opened with new and big changes done. Since the restaurant was changed, the customers now needed to walk inside and order which failed to bring more business. ¨They fired their 20 carhops and ditched their silverware and plates for paper wrappings and cups so that they no longer needed a dishwasher¨ (Klein). The McDonald brothers made things inside the kitchen a little easier and also shortened the menu. The brothers took out the barbecue from the menu which changed the whole concept of the restaurant. Richard and Maurice had to change something to earn part of success when they began their career.

Significant Accomplishments

Richard and Maurice McDonald accomplished many great things along the way of making their restaurant. Even though it was taken by Ray Kroc, the main part of McDonald's was originated and created by the brothers. The brothers made more changes after entering the phase of having more customers and popularity. ¨Once McDonald’s replaced potato chips with french fries and introduced triple-thick milkshakes, however, the business began to take off with families and businessmen drawn by the cheap, 15-cent hamburgers and a low-cost menu¨ (Klein). They started changing the menu to the regular things the restaurant is famous for. They then made an even bigger change, the McDonald brothers installed a self-service counter. Instead of cooking each meal to order, they prepared their burgers ahead of time and kept the food warm under high-powered heat lamps¨ (Reed). The McDonalds brother´s salary soon doubled and had ¨franchises in California and Arizona by the time a milkshake mixer salesman named Ray Kroc visited San Bernardino in 1954¨ (Klein). Ray opened his own Mcdonalds in 1955 and he grew a quick and fierce relationship with the brothers while both having different thoughts about how to work business. Kroc says that ¨It was almost as though they were hoping I would fail¨ (Klein). He bought McDonalds for $2.7 million, which would be about $22 million, and had borrowed from different sources for money to own the whole company. So, the brothers kept their original restaurant and Kroc opened a McDonald's around the corner to run them out of business with pleasure. Ray remodeled the golden arch that Richard had made and called himself the founder, and he tried to leave the brothers out of Mcdonalds history. The brothers were not viewed as the founders and it took them years to get credit. Even after what Ray had done to the brothers, Richard was not indignant and talked about Kroc nicely (Stice). Even though Ray bought McDonalds, he ran the company himself and ¨made himself the most successful traveling salesman to ever pack a suitcase¨ (Reed). After Maurice died in 1971 and Richard 1998, they managed to establish 13,000 stores in the United States and 12,000 from around the world in 1999. ¨Staying away is difficult simply because McDonald's is everywhere¨ (Coeyman). The brothers founded a restaurant that became a massive global success and thousands of people loved. Richard and Maurice even made a Ronald McDonald House and a McCafe be established after their death (Reed). Richard and Maurice did have a great problem when they lost their company, but did find the restaurant with great accomplishments.

Impact on the World

The Mcdonald brothers founded the restaurant while Ray Kroc shaped it to the place that has made multiple great changes. They changed many people's lives with their cheap food for families and jobs. They gave a job to thousands of people and "Mr. Lombardi says, ‘There's now a whole generation given basic job skills and training by McDonald's” (Coeyman). They have given food to families that can not afford many things due to McDonald´s cheap menu. Even though they are cheap, they are also delicious. McDonald's has given hundreds of thousands of jobs to teens and adults, and thousands of people have worked here as a first job. In addition, employees have learned skills like teamwork to have a better environment to work in. There are millions of people that think that their food is nice and warm. In 1990, McDonald’s published the first restaurant in Russia and served more than 30,000 people (Reed). Though it was the first McDonald's published in Russia, they got plenty of happy customers. Ray made the world different with the brothers’ creation because they made McDonald's be everywhere and made people want to try it. The restaurant became so big and showed it with the company without using ratings on the food. The way McDonald’s works has taught the employees how to work together and other abilities (Coeyman). The restaurant has impacted several parts of the world by giving jobs, excellent training, great food on cheap prices and satisfaction.

Lessons Learned From Their Life 

People who go to McDonald´s might not say it is amazing, but they might still say something positive about it. The Mcdonald brothers struggled with their life and went all out to make an outcome in life, and one in themselves. Their perseverance kept them going no matter what was in the way. Even though the brothers failed in some things and made errors, they learned from their mistakes and kept pushing (Stice). Ray was a big obstacle, but they decided that they achieved the money they wanted. Richard and Maurice were determined, and they took the break they deserved after working to be great for their customers. Applying determination, business, and perseverance in life can completely change the way to reach goals and teach many other lessons along the way (Coeyman). It is all right to take a break from hard work and it takes mistakes to get what is wanted. The great brothers have taught lessons just from what they have experienced. They could be the definition of hard work, for they never looked back. Their hard work, discipline, and peace makes them somebody to be appreciated for being influential.

Works Cited

Coeyman, Marjorie. “McDonald's Influence Goes beyond Burgers.” The Christian Science Monitor, 4 Aug. 1999, www.csmonitor.com/ 1999/0804/p16s1.html. Accessed 15 Nov. 2021.

Klein, Christopher. “How McDonald's Beat Its Early Competition and Became an Icon of Fast Food.” History, A&E Television Networks, 15 May 2015, www.history.com/news/how-mcdonalds-became-fast-food-giant. Accessed 5 Nov. 2021.

Reed, Eric. “History of McDonald's: Timeline and Facts.” TheStreet, 2 Jan. 2020, www.thestreet.com/markets/history-of-mcdonalds-15128096. Accessed 20 Nov. 2021.

Stice, Joel. “The Tragic Real-Life Story of the McDonald Brothers.” Mashed, 27 Oct. 2020, www.mashed.com/147897/the-tragic-real-life-story-of-the-mcdonald-brothers/. Accessed 17 Nov. 2021.

I´m Lovin´ It

Richard and Maurice were born in a small town.

A town where everybody had a frown. 

A poor family in Hampshire,

Aiming for something bigger than what they could acquire.

The brothers left their home, 

And started a new life all alone.

Worked at a movie theater for a while,

But the bills were too much and made them feel hostile.

They tried working in fast food

And it made them change their mood.

The McDonald's and famous banana arch

with the cheap menu customers read and watch.

The brothers were doing great,

But Ray Kroc saw their future state.

The restaurant later came to an end for the brothers,

For the place, they sold as if it was a pack of expensive colors.

2.7 million dollars given

And a small mark in history written.

The restaurant had walked through plenty of stages

And gave jobs to a lot of faces.

It also gained tons of fame

Which made many people know its name.

Richard and Maurice had gotten what they wanted,

And one of the most victorious restaurants they had started.

Ray molded McDonald's into the one it is today,

But the brothers have many important life lessons that they convey.

Richard and Maurice did not have it easy,

So did their effort make a difference? We shall see.