Analysis of primary Document.DOCUMENT 20.3 An account of the birth of McDonald's - Essay Example

The Beginning of McDonalds The first McDonald's was a small restaurant outside of Los Angeles. People liked it because there were no waitresses, itwas clean and it was cheap. The food was good and people did not have to depend on packed bag lunches. "Mr Multimixer" had flown out to Los Angeles to see the first McDonalds. He met with Mac and Dick McDonalds that night to have them explain the operation as he had observed it during lunch. He saw in his mind the golden arches all over the country.

The basics were that everything was under the concept of simplicity. Everything was taken away. There were no longer any complications. A hamburger was a fried piece of meat with bread. Cheese would cost more. It didn't matter who did the cooking it was set up the same way as though cooking became an assembly line. There were no longer waitresses or placing orders. It was to be fast and efficient. When they had their meeting, Mr Multimixer went back to his hotel room and conceived of a plan which would put McDonalds all over the country.

He returned the next day and saw that the operations were the same as the day before. This was something that was new. No one cooked a hamburger with the same technique as the previous person. In 1956, they opened up the first stores, one of which was in Waukegan. They had problems and had to give discounts and send their most important people to different stores. It proved that without a good corporate headquarters and good training, the McDonalds' image of quality and service would never last.

These are the basic elements to success. Opening up the first McDonalds', the corporate office realized that without the motto "QSC and V" (Quality, Service, Cleanliness and Value), they could not ask the franchisees to work with them and cook the same way. This was the first instance of name brand awareness. Early in the 1960's people knew, that they could go to any McDonald's and get the same food. This is also an excellent case study in how to sell successful franchises. 50 years later, these words still apply, QSC and V, to create customer loyalty and trust.

Successful franchises need to be chosen on their desire to maintain the McDonald image. They have to be willing to be well trained and to guarantee that the stores and restaurants will be the same whether it be in Los Angeles or New York. The beginning of McDonald is important as it shows how an idea can grow into a multibillion dollar international corporation. The beginning of franchising shows how entrepreneurs were able start their companies with the help of a corporate trainer. Brand awareness started at a state level then went to a national level.

Now it is the same all over the world. Much can be learned by the study of companies that began after the war. It was a time of prosperity and growth. Word Count: 504