One of the famous personalities associated with Mcdonald’s was a man named Ray Kroc and he single-handedly was one of the main reasons that made McDonald’s change from being a local burger stand to an international chain of fast foods. These are skills of vision, strategic and planning as well as tenacity – John Thompson was instrumental in the shaping of McDonalds’ success. This paper conducts a critical analysis of Kroc, and identifies his major contributions towards the McDonald’s expansion as well as the main strategies that he leveraged to take McDonalds to another level making it the brand we know today.
The Meeting that Changed Everything
The formation of the McDonald’s Corporation began in 1954, when a man named Ray Kroc, a salesman of milkshake Multimixer for fast foods restaurants, visited the place in San Bernardino, California owned by two Mac-Donald brothers. Kroc was especially struck when he noticed their “Speedee Service System” ‘s organization and effectiveness. Realizing that the idea could expand all across the United States, Kroc tried to convince McDonald’s to open franchise outlets all across the United States. There is legend that from the initial negotiation the McDonald brothers were hesitant but could be convinced together to start an interesting cooperation.
Kroc’s Vision for McDonald’s
Unlike other fast-food eating establishments, Kroc’s vision for McDonald’s went beyond the fast-growing single restaurant concept. He actually dreamt of creating a string of restaurants that were standardized, of first-rate quality, which sold food that was quick, dependable, and cheap. This vision was grounded in several key principles:This vision was grounded in several key principles:
Consistency: McKrocie thought that each outlet should give a similar food menu, service and standard without allowing for geographical location differences to influence the model. This would serve as a pillar of McDonald’s physical strategy where customers would always be familiar with what was expected of them wherever the Company was located.
Franchising Model: With experience in the fast food industry, Ray Kroc knew that franchising was a key way to grow fast. By forming joint ventures with local participants, he was able to use their local capital and knowledge and at the same time keep the control on socially appropriate image and etiquette.
Quality Control: He also did ensure that the company implemented quality standards in all the outlets to ensure that they were of equal standards. He set rules for how kitchens must be, cleanliness, and how the waiters must treat the customers so that all outlets can be standard.
Strategic Expansion
Under Kroc’s leadership, McDonald’s embarked on an ambitious expansion plan. The first McDonald’s franchise opened in Des Plaines, Illinois, in 1955. This location served as a prototype for future franchises and was meticulously designed to showcase Kroc’s vision for the brand.
Kroc’s strategic approach to expansion included several key elements:
Site Selection: Thus, Kroc was very specific about the location of the McDonald’s restaurants that were to be established. It was a glued on effort to ensure he selected these strategic places to include highways and areas with much traffic.
Training and Support: In the same year, Kroc founded Hamburger University, which is a training marketing ground for franchisees and their employees. It helped to make sure all employees understand how McDonald’s works and be knowledgeable on how they can offer standard services.
Marketing and Branding: He was instrumental in the development of elaborate campaigns that McDonalds required for very specific marketing and branding. He realized that establishing a very rich brand image was very paramount and to this end adequately used advertising, promotions and public relation techniques in the accomplishment of this objective.
The Introduction of Iconic Menu Items
Thus, during the management of Kroc in the company, several significant products which became the staple products of the company, joined the menu. These innovations were not only directed at an extended menu but also at the attraction of the vast array of clients.
The first of the famous customization options could be talked about the Big Mac that has been created in 1967 by the franchisee Jim Delligatti. This burger was created as a double-decker and, as expected, its popularity was remarkable and it is still one of the most beloved offerings of McDonald’s. This followed by the introduction of the famous Happy Meal in 1979 made yet another shift, targeting families especially those with children helping to reinforce McDonald’s appeal to children.
Overcoming Challenges
Unfortunately, Kroc was not devoid of some hurdles throughout his stint in McDonald’s. He received many challenges, some of which are as follows:- Protesting from the McDonald brothers, the legal issues he encountered more so with the McDonald’s brothers and threats from the other fast food outlets. Nevertheless, the strengths of character that were manifested in Kroc that drove him to achieve great success despite the problems encountered in the operation of the fortune hundred boys.
The issue that emerged was how to sustain and improve the quality of the products while the outlets were being expanded to include more franchises? Kroc was able to handle this challenge through practicing a number of measures and ensuring high quality in its operations. He also refocused on supply chain management to ensure that all supplied ingredients were up to the corporate standards of McDonald.
The Legacy of Ray Kroc
A very significant part of McDonald’s and fast-food history is Ray Kroc and what he developed, bought, and transformed. Through the implementation of new ideas as to how to franchise his business, quality standards, and the determination to always strive for the best, McDonald’s became a brand worldwide. By the time of his death in 1984, Kroc had expanded the McDonalds empire and opened thousands of McDonald restaurants around the globe making the chain one of the industry’s most recognized leaders.
However it cost $6 million to build that building which became the McDonald’s headquarters, Kroc’s legacy does not end there. His practical business values guide and inspire numerous contemporary business people and companies, the widespread system of franchises, the distinctive identity of quality and similarity, delivering quick food programs around the world.
Conclusion
Ray Kroc’s part in McDonald success shows how vision, strategy and ambition bear a great influence to the success of organizational success. Frankly, Ronald’s McDonald’s System, Inc. franchising, product standard and company growth strategy revolutionized McDonald’s from a little local to an international brand. The knowledge of Ray Kroc’s contribution enables potential businessmen or business aspirants to perceive the strong fundamentals that contribute to the success of a business and the ways by which business incorporation should be made consistent, adaptable, and highly engineered.
When superimposing Kroc’s experience within the McDonald’s business plus to the fast-food business, it is evident that his impact is still felt till today. Today, it is impossible to speak about the further development of McDonald’s without considering the principles introduced by Ray Kroc; Thus, the quick-service food retailer enters the phase of transformation and consolidation of the strategies formed by the founder During this process, it can be confidently stated that the ideas suggested by Ray Kroc will remain the indispensable pillars of the company’s further growth