Mc Donald's

McDonald’s Corporation

• Founders: Richard and Maurice McDonald and Ray Kroc.
• Distinction: Initiated, and still leads, the global fast-food revolution.
• Primary products: Burgers, chicken nuggets, fries, and shakes.
• Annual sales: $35.9 billion worldwide.
• Number of employees: 284,000 in the United States alone.
• Major competitors: Burger King, Wendy’s, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut.
• Chairman and CEO: Jack Greenberg.
• Headquarters: Oak Brook, Ill.
• Year founded: 1955.
• Web site: www.mcdonalds.com.


Most Americans can’t remember when cigarette commercials were commonplace on their televisions, just as they can’t recall when fast-food restaurants were not in their neighborhoods. Surprisingly, there’s a connection between these two emerging and descending icons. The connection stems from a business principle that was devoutly practiced by a man who is almost singlehandedly responsible for the proliferation of these casual eateries in every corner of the globe.
Some four decades ago, when broadcast ads for tobacco products were far more prevalent than quickie hamburger outlets, many companies were hoping for the chance to install cigarette vending machines in their lobbies. In those days, such devices were enthusiastically welcomed as a customer convenience in any establishment—in the fanciest steakhouse to the most casual diner. They also provided a healthy profit for the owner, as well as the vending company. Why shouldn’t they be allowed inside fast-food upstarts as well?
The head of the class already was a newfangled burger joint called McDonald’s. It was spreading rapidly across the United States, and the most ambitious vendors were hot to get their feet in the door. But even if they managed to reach an official at the firm, they always were immediately rebuffed. Company chairman Ray Kroc, it seemed, did not want anyone lingering in his restaurants for a smoke after they had finished their meals. The idea behind McDonald’s, then as now, was to quickly serve and feed customers and then get them on their way so the booths could be filled with those next in line.
Bucking tradition was typical for the iconoclastic Kroc, whose empire is now as ubiquitous as the no-smoking sections in restaurants across the land. While the company’s growth has slowed of late, more than 15 years after his death it oversees 25,000 outlets in 119 countries—and, with them, controls almost half of the industry it originated. McDonald’s does this, observers agree, by continually adhering to the underlying philosophy that its founder championed from the outset: build simple, casual and easy-toidentify restaurants where the service is friendly, the prices are low, and there’s no waiting for tables while someone finishes a cigarette.