Ray Kroc - McDonalds

• Competitive.
• "If they were drowning to death, I'd put a hose in their mouth."
• made himself a millionaire.
• born in Chicago, in 1902.
• had a little brother named Bob, and little sister named Loraine.
• moved to Oak Park.
• helped his mom around the house, seemed more ambitious than other kids his age.
• Ray's prediction on life is that he would work in the food industry.
• worked in a grocery store.
• Ray had no patience for school when he was a teenager, and always thought of ways to make money.
• if there was an idea, he would make that idea into reality.
• Kroc was a pitcher for his baseball team.
• joined the Red Cross Ambulance.
• quit school in 1919.
• got a job at Paw Paw Lake in Michigan.
• got married to Ethel, whom he met in Michigan.
• young, ambitious, and willing to work hard.
• clean freak, very polished.
• sold paper cups everywhere.
• Ray convinced Soda Fountain owners that they can get more customers if they used his cups.
• signed a contract with Walgreens, and became the star salesman in his company.
• spent countless hours with his customers.
• 1939, Kroc found love in the multimixer, a milkshake machine.
• At 37, Kroc had a successful career in the paper cup company.
• 1950's, Ray was losing customers due to suburbs.
• 1954, he flew to California and met Dick and Mac McDonald.
• 1937, opened their own hot dog stand.
• for 8 years Dick and Mac ran the most successful drive in in town.
• cut their menu item of 25, down to 9.
• sped up service with new grills and new equipment.
• 20 minutes down to 30 seconds
• sales shot up 40% in 3 years.
• got on the cover of American Restaurant Magazine in 1952.
• Ray was in for a surprise, the McDonald brothers didn't tell him they sold it.
• by the mid 50's, Kroc opened his first McDonald's restaurant.
• made sure the restaurants were always clean.
• For each franchise he sold, he would get 1.9%
• sold 18 franchises in his first year, but realized he was barely earning enough to cover his expenses.
• with his real estate formula in place, and had a goal of opening 1000 McDonald's coast to coast.
• Kroc fell in love with another woman, Joan Smith.
• in 1961, he ended his relationship with Ethel.
• looked for church steeples in a helicopter because he realized that's where all the families were.
• burgers had to be 1.6 ounces.
• opened up a training program (Hamburger University)
• Ray couldn't really change anything without the McDonald brothers permission.
• 1961, Kroc decided he wanted McDonald's all to himself.
• to buy it out, it would have to be $1 million each to each brother, and cover their taxes.
• December 1961, Kroc brought the rights to McDonald's.
• Breakfast counts for more than 20%
• by 1965, Kroc opened up to 745 restaurants in 44 states.
• by the time Ray turned 70, he had everything he wanted in life.
• 1970's, McDonald's became the largest food supplier in the country.