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Grinding It Out: The Making of McDonald's
Few entrepreneurs can claim to have actually changed the way we live, but Ray Kroc is one of them. His revolutions in food service automation, franchising, shared national training and advertising have earned him a place beside the men who founded not merely businesses but entire new industries.
But even more interesting than Ray Kroc the business legend is Ray Kroc the man. Not your typical self-made tycoon, Kroc was 52 when he met the McDonald brothers and opened his first franchise.
Now meet Ray Kroc, the man behind the business legend, in his own words. Irrepressible enthusiast, perceptive people-watcher, and born storyteller, he will fascinate and inspire you. You'll never forget Ray Kroc.
But even more interesting than Ray Kroc the business legend is Ray Kroc the man. Not your typical self-made tycoon, Kroc was 52 when he met the McDonald brothers and opened his first franchise.
Now meet Ray Kroc, the man behind the business legend, in his own words. Irrepressible enthusiast, perceptive people-watcher, and born storyteller, he will fascinate and inspire you. You'll never forget Ray Kroc.
256 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1977
About the author
Ray Kroc
12 books33 followersRaymond Albert Kroc, popularly known as Ray Kroc, was an American businessman, who brought about a revolution in the fast food industry, making McDonald’s the biggest fast food chain in the world.
Once referred to by Harvard Business School as “the service sector’s equivalent of Henry Ford”, Kroc but had a modest beginning. Initially, he sold various items such as paper cups, milkshake mixers before coming in contact with McDonald brothers, who ran a small but popular fast food joint in California, at the age of 51.
Subsequently he acquired the franchise of small-scale McDonald’s Corporation, he transformed it into one of the most successful fast food operations in the world. Ray Croc eventually bought the company, at the age of 59. He also utilized standardization to ensure that the McDonald’s food products to taste the same in all the outlets.
Kroc revolutionized the American restaurant industry with the new and developed operating and delivery system. By the time of his death, the chain had 7,500 outlets across the world with gross sales of $8 billion.
Once referred to by Harvard Business School as “the service sector’s equivalent of Henry Ford”, Kroc but had a modest beginning. Initially, he sold various items such as paper cups, milkshake mixers before coming in contact with McDonald brothers, who ran a small but popular fast food joint in California, at the age of 51.
Subsequently he acquired the franchise of small-scale McDonald’s Corporation, he transformed it into one of the most successful fast food operations in the world. Ray Croc eventually bought the company, at the age of 59. He also utilized standardization to ensure that the McDonald’s food products to taste the same in all the outlets.
Kroc revolutionized the American restaurant industry with the new and developed operating and delivery system. By the time of his death, the chain had 7,500 outlets across the world with gross sales of $8 billion.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 493 reviews
June 14, 2016
When Ray Kroc wrote this book back in 1977, he was optimistic about the growth of McDonald's' breakfast. And suggested they might even one day serve pizza (LOVED IT!).
So this is obviously a little dated. That and references to housewives.
But it's a fascinating business story. This guy didn't kick off McDonald's until he was 52. Which makes me feel a lot better about my career. Before that he was a Depression-era salesman and piano player who epitomized that American gung-ho hard work ethic. He's plain-spoken, and rough around the edges, but that only adds to the realism of the portrayal of someone who made mistakes, chewed out his managers on occasion, and failed at two marriages.
Because for better or worse, Ray Kroc created a global institution. And without the cult of personality that will plague Apple CEOs until the end of time.
So this is obviously a little dated. That and references to housewives.
But it's a fascinating business story. This guy didn't kick off McDonald's until he was 52. Which makes me feel a lot better about my career. Before that he was a Depression-era salesman and piano player who epitomized that American gung-ho hard work ethic. He's plain-spoken, and rough around the edges, but that only adds to the realism of the portrayal of someone who made mistakes, chewed out his managers on occasion, and failed at two marriages.
Because for better or worse, Ray Kroc created a global institution. And without the cult of personality that will plague Apple CEOs until the end of time.
May 5, 2016
This was an amazing read. It simply amazes me that he started MCDonalds at age 52 and in 25 years had over 4000 stores and 3 billion in sales. Favorite quote: "PRESS On: Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent" - Ray Kroc
March 17, 2018
I re-read this book after watching the movie. What an inspiring story about persistence! Ray Kroc was truly a great American entrepreneur. My only regret is that I did not get a chance to interview him for one of my books!
February 8, 2018
In a nutshell: Ray Kroc is an asshole, but he gave us McDonald’s, so there’s that...
Recommendation: It’s always interesting to know how a big company came to be, so if the topic interests you, I’d say this is worth a read.
I wanted to read this after I watched The Founder... I didn’t learn that many new things other than more about Ray Kroc as a person and it made me hate him even more.
Ray Kroc was always a hard worker but couldn’t seem to make ends meet. He was a milkshake-mixer salesman by day and an amateur piano-player at night. One day, he is confused when a customer purchases multiple mixers at once and decides he needs to travel to the location to see what’s going on. He arrives at the McDonald brothers’ burger stand in San Bernardino, California and is blown away by the operation, from the efficiency and “take-away” service style to the taste of the food. He has to be a part of it and urges the brothers to the franchise. Eventually, Kroc swindles his way into taking over the entire organization and the McDonald’s brothers are bought out and led to close their original store. Through his life, Kroc had 3 wives, leaving one each time he met someone more attractive and agreeable to him, happily took away the McDonald brothers’ legacy and is now credited as the creator, and let his success get to his head with his arrogance.
Even though this book gets three stars, I judged it based on the interesting subject matter. But I docked points for Kroc just being an awful human being.
So, this is a cool story because it tells you how the fast food nation came to be and how McDonald’s basically started the entire movement. But it wasn’t Ray Kroc’s idea. He stole it from the McDonald’s brothers. Or... I don’t know if steal is the right word. It’s just all super shady. Basically while selling milkshake mixers he found the McDonald’s brothers and was blown away by the efficiency and quality of food during the era of car hops. He somehow got the brothers to agree to franchise McDonald’s, even though they were really reluctant at first. After selling off a bunch of franchises and making a lot of changes, Ray Kroc bought the brothers out and opened one of his restaurants right across from the brothers’ original restaurant and thus drove them out of business, THEIR dream.
Also, Ray Kroc was sexist. Let’s get that straight. All the executives he chose were men. He explicitly explains that he only wanted to sell franchises to men and then their wives took over the administrative duties. And he talks about his own bookkeeper and how great she was but he uses language to suggest that she’s beneath him and that as much as he apparently respects her, he judges her work based on her gender. Like how she went above and beyond her line of duty and this was incredible given the fact she was a woman. As if most women aren’t capable of going above and beyond with their work and don’t have the same mental capacity. Ridiculous. AND he had 3 wives. On it’s own, that seems fine. But he left his wives when he met another more attractive woman and married her instead. His second marriage happened because he couldn’t get with this other married woman he wanted, and then when the married woman came back years later and said she was ready to leave her current husband, he divorced his current wife. What a dirty scumbag.
It’s also pretty clear that Kroc was arrogant. The book is filled with his judgments of other people and how awesome he thinks he is in comparisons. Not to mention he fills the books with quotes from other people and McDonald’s executives who have told him how awesome he is. They don’t add much context. He basically just adds them in the middle of a chapter when he needs to inflate his already huge ego.
I know this all seems like me complaining about the book, yet I still gave it three stars. But this book is supposed to be a book about McDonald’s and Ray Kroc’s life. And it succeeds in that... which is why I still gave it three stars.
Recommendation: It’s always interesting to know how a big company came to be, so if the topic interests you, I’d say this is worth a read.
I wanted to read this after I watched The Founder... I didn’t learn that many new things other than more about Ray Kroc as a person and it made me hate him even more.
“People have marveled at the fact that I didn’t start McDonald’s until I was fifty-two years old, and then I became a success overnight. But I was just like a lot of show business personalities who work away quietly at their craft for years, and then, suddenly, they get the right break and make it big. I was an overnight success all right, but thirty years is a long, long night.”
Ray Kroc was always a hard worker but couldn’t seem to make ends meet. He was a milkshake-mixer salesman by day and an amateur piano-player at night. One day, he is confused when a customer purchases multiple mixers at once and decides he needs to travel to the location to see what’s going on. He arrives at the McDonald brothers’ burger stand in San Bernardino, California and is blown away by the operation, from the efficiency and “take-away” service style to the taste of the food. He has to be a part of it and urges the brothers to the franchise. Eventually, Kroc swindles his way into taking over the entire organization and the McDonald’s brothers are bought out and led to close their original store. Through his life, Kroc had 3 wives, leaving one each time he met someone more attractive and agreeable to him, happily took away the McDonald brothers’ legacy and is now credited as the creator, and let his success get to his head with his arrogance.
Even though this book gets three stars, I judged it based on the interesting subject matter. But I docked points for Kroc just being an awful human being.
So, this is a cool story because it tells you how the fast food nation came to be and how McDonald’s basically started the entire movement. But it wasn’t Ray Kroc’s idea. He stole it from the McDonald’s brothers. Or... I don’t know if steal is the right word. It’s just all super shady. Basically while selling milkshake mixers he found the McDonald’s brothers and was blown away by the efficiency and quality of food during the era of car hops. He somehow got the brothers to agree to franchise McDonald’s, even though they were really reluctant at first. After selling off a bunch of franchises and making a lot of changes, Ray Kroc bought the brothers out and opened one of his restaurants right across from the brothers’ original restaurant and thus drove them out of business, THEIR dream.
Also, Ray Kroc was sexist. Let’s get that straight. All the executives he chose were men. He explicitly explains that he only wanted to sell franchises to men and then their wives took over the administrative duties. And he talks about his own bookkeeper and how great she was but he uses language to suggest that she’s beneath him and that as much as he apparently respects her, he judges her work based on her gender. Like how she went above and beyond her line of duty and this was incredible given the fact she was a woman. As if most women aren’t capable of going above and beyond with their work and don’t have the same mental capacity. Ridiculous. AND he had 3 wives. On it’s own, that seems fine. But he left his wives when he met another more attractive woman and married her instead. His second marriage happened because he couldn’t get with this other married woman he wanted, and then when the married woman came back years later and said she was ready to leave her current husband, he divorced his current wife. What a dirty scumbag.
It’s also pretty clear that Kroc was arrogant. The book is filled with his judgments of other people and how awesome he thinks he is in comparisons. Not to mention he fills the books with quotes from other people and McDonald’s executives who have told him how awesome he is. They don’t add much context. He basically just adds them in the middle of a chapter when he needs to inflate his already huge ego.
I know this all seems like me complaining about the book, yet I still gave it three stars. But this book is supposed to be a book about McDonald’s and Ray Kroc’s life. And it succeeds in that... which is why I still gave it three stars.
June 26, 2020
After watching The Founder I naturally believed Ray Kroc to be an irrepressible, rapacious—yet bizaarely talented—bastard. He apparently only operates in a French-fry scented sea of amorality, and seemed to think nothing of his complacent-yet-mostly-supportive wife.
And yet, the film would have us believe he still ostensibly wakes up to smell the grease and relish his daily submerging of his enemies in the proverbial deep fryer.
But after consuming Grinding it Out in earnest, I felt that this view of Kroc was most certainly not the hot-blooded, notorious hellspawn he is made out to be—at least according to his own account of himself. Naturally, it’s quite charitable and generous towards his own apparently amazing feats of business and personal successes. Still, I’m actually more partial to his own account far more than I thought I might be—even if it is far rosier than perhaps is the case.
He not only is like a real life Horacio Algers hero (from zero to ‘hero’ through sheer determination and resourcefulness, and the like), but also a late bloomer! And personally, I am always excited when older folks buck the ’30 Under 30’ cultural zeitgeist, and show you never needed to be a national champion of [insert prestigious thing] by the age of 12.
Still, he ripped what is now McDonald’s from the eponymously named brother’s hands and devoured it the same way a greedy child scrounges down a Happy Meal. But that aside, it really says something that despite knowing this about Ray Kroc, he is so goddamn likable.
I’m serious: he comes off as so excited about life and passionate about success, that one would be a fool to, at minimum, not see the man with at least some kind of begrudging respect: he turned one great Speedee System propelled restaurant and exploded into an international feeding frenzy. No one can knock him for this. Yeah, the philandering, zany enthusiasm, and sharp-teethed, raw and ruthless competitive zeal all ‘complicate’ and highlight his intense flaws, but he frankly seems like an extraordinary man.
He also perhaps saw beauty in things others could not:
And yet, the film would have us believe he still ostensibly wakes up to smell the grease and relish his daily submerging of his enemies in the proverbial deep fryer.
But after consuming Grinding it Out in earnest, I felt that this view of Kroc was most certainly not the hot-blooded, notorious hellspawn he is made out to be—at least according to his own account of himself. Naturally, it’s quite charitable and generous towards his own apparently amazing feats of business and personal successes. Still, I’m actually more partial to his own account far more than I thought I might be—even if it is far rosier than perhaps is the case.
He not only is like a real life Horacio Algers hero (from zero to ‘hero’ through sheer determination and resourcefulness, and the like), but also a late bloomer! And personally, I am always excited when older folks buck the ’30 Under 30’ cultural zeitgeist, and show you never needed to be a national champion of [insert prestigious thing] by the age of 12.
Still, he ripped what is now McDonald’s from the eponymously named brother’s hands and devoured it the same way a greedy child scrounges down a Happy Meal. But that aside, it really says something that despite knowing this about Ray Kroc, he is so goddamn likable.
I’m serious: he comes off as so excited about life and passionate about success, that one would be a fool to, at minimum, not see the man with at least some kind of begrudging respect: he turned one great Speedee System propelled restaurant and exploded into an international feeding frenzy. No one can knock him for this. Yeah, the philandering, zany enthusiasm, and sharp-teethed, raw and ruthless competitive zeal all ‘complicate’ and highlight his intense flaws, but he frankly seems like an extraordinary man.
He also perhaps saw beauty in things others could not:
“Consider, for example, the hamburger bun. It requires a certain kind of mind to see beauty in a hamburger bun. Yet, is it any more unusual to find grace in the texture and softly curved silhouette of a bun than to reflect lovingly on the hackles of a favorite fishing fly? Or the arrangement of textures and colors in a butterfly’s wing? Not if you are a McDonald’s man. Not if you view the bun as an essential material in the art of serving a great many meals fast. Then this plump yeasty mass becomes an object worthy of sober study” (Kroc, 167-168)In conclusion, when the dust settled in Kroc’s golden-arched McEmpire, he has accomplished something few other humans in history ever have: a celebrated empire—even today, despite it not being fashionable to admit, McDonalds is still roaringly popular: it brought in a total revenue of $21 Billion in 2019—which still entices and (in a kind of slice-of-life sort of way) even enchants its customers—which could very well persist for the next century. This makes Kroc, no matter what may think of him, more than just a man who sold franchises and ‘ground out’ a living, but the progenitor of something now embedded in the firmament of quintessential American culture, and perhaps one of the pinnacle symbols of Americana. That makes him an undeniably successful and worthwhile person of study, despite his undeniable flaws.
August 4, 2021
I have mixed feelings about this book. The beginning was really entertaining as it talked about ray Kroc’s life story but after that it went downhill with some nice moments here and there. Learned a thing or two about the fast food business.
June 14, 2019
Byłam tej pozycji ciekawa, bo chciałam się dowiedzieć czegoś węchu o tej sieci fast foodów.
Zaczęło się genialne. 1 rozdział pokazał jak założyciel wpadł na pomysł otwarcia restauracji McDonald’s. Jednak już w kolejnym rozdziale czas się cofnął i czytaliśmy o wczesnych latach Raya i jego pierwszych krokach w handlu. Dopiero po kilku rozdziałach wróciliśmy do tego, na czym zakończył się 1 rozdział.
Książka ta naprawdę mi się spodobała. Jest pełna inspirujących cytatów, zresztą sama historia rownież bardzo inspiruje. Naprawdę polecam, bo choć książka jest niepozorna to ma w sobie dużą dawkę wiedzy i motywacji do działania.
Zaczęło się genialne. 1 rozdział pokazał jak założyciel wpadł na pomysł otwarcia restauracji McDonald’s. Jednak już w kolejnym rozdziale czas się cofnął i czytaliśmy o wczesnych latach Raya i jego pierwszych krokach w handlu. Dopiero po kilku rozdziałach wróciliśmy do tego, na czym zakończył się 1 rozdział.
Książka ta naprawdę mi się spodobała. Jest pełna inspirujących cytatów, zresztą sama historia rownież bardzo inspiruje. Naprawdę polecam, bo choć książka jest niepozorna to ma w sobie dużą dawkę wiedzy i motywacji do działania.
April 21, 2011
This was a great book about the effect of hard work and a determined attitude. I admire Ray Kroc for remaining 'green' in his thinking and seizing a business opportunity at 52.
May 30, 2020
The autobiography touches on many of the twists and turns of Ray Kroc's life. Not as much discussion as it'd hoped about the buyout of the McDonald brothers, and certainly not as it was portrayed in the movie, The Founder. There were some interesting chapters (I thought it was particularly interesting to hear about Ray's public chastising of the San Diego Padres), but I found the book to be mostly pretty slow.
August 13, 2019
After watching “The Founder” I was intrigued with the story behind McDonalds and decided to buy this book, which tells with much more detail how Ray Kroc found out this little restaurant in the middle of the desert and in just a matter of years managed to build an empire with the same “hamburger model”. Moreover, it describes the early career days of him, since when he was a piano player and afterwards a best seller of paper cups.
I love the “starting from the bottom” stories and this one really inspired me. Favorite quote: “ As long as you are green you are growing, as soon as you are ripe you start to rot” Ray Kroc
I love the “starting from the bottom” stories and this one really inspired me. Favorite quote: “ As long as you are green you are growing, as soon as you are ripe you start to rot” Ray Kroc
April 18, 2023
Good book from Ray’s perspective on McDonald’s. Flows well and the writing is clear. Definitely a different opinion presented here than the popular movie where he is the villain. I’m sure the truth lies in between.
Catches a lot of the broad strokes. I would’ve liked a little more detail at some of the stuff but I’m kind of a nerd about businesses, so I guess that’s more preference then general statement on book quality.
A lot of admiration for Ray and just how hard it is to do what he did. It’s a heck of a lot easier to look back and see how all of the dots connect then it is to charge forth and connect them as you go. I think the message here that is really driven home, is that if you just keep going long enough, you can find the things that work. Staying in the game and keeping moving forward seems to be what Ray thinks his recipe for success is. There definitely is a level of luck at play, and no one grows a business alone, but I admire the hard work described within in the honesty that Ray has in that regard.
Last chapters are basically an ego trip. Ray is taking a victory lap and slinging mud at people he doesn’t like. But it is an interesting insight into the type of person he is in its own regard. ‘Sometimes the best revenge is shit talking people in your memoir’ -Ray maybe.
Catches a lot of the broad strokes. I would’ve liked a little more detail at some of the stuff but I’m kind of a nerd about businesses, so I guess that’s more preference then general statement on book quality.
A lot of admiration for Ray and just how hard it is to do what he did. It’s a heck of a lot easier to look back and see how all of the dots connect then it is to charge forth and connect them as you go. I think the message here that is really driven home, is that if you just keep going long enough, you can find the things that work. Staying in the game and keeping moving forward seems to be what Ray thinks his recipe for success is. There definitely is a level of luck at play, and no one grows a business alone, but I admire the hard work described within in the honesty that Ray has in that regard.
Last chapters are basically an ego trip. Ray is taking a victory lap and slinging mud at people he doesn’t like. But it is an interesting insight into the type of person he is in its own regard. ‘Sometimes the best revenge is shit talking people in your memoir’ -Ray maybe.
August 4, 2012
I'm not really sure how this book ended up in my to-read pile, but it was short and so I grabbed it for a recent plane trip.
I was surprised to find that it was a rather engaging read. Finished (even this 2nd edition) long before McDonalds became the anti-health and corporate manipulation punching bag that it is today, I found it was rather charming to think of McDs as a tiny little operation with a small menu selling 15 cent hamburgers. I kind of wish I had been able to try their fries back when they cut the potatoes in the stores and made them by hand. I kind of wish I had been around when having a McDonalds open in your town was an exciting prospect (although I imagine it is sort of like what I experienced when a Container Store opened 2 miles from me recently).
Based on the vision that he conveyed in his book, I have to attribute his vision and purpose with McDonald's to something akin to Steve Jobs and Apple. He knew what he wanted, he knew how things should be run, and he wanted to provide a stellar experience to all of his customers. He also strived to be fair with his store owners and with his suppliers and enrich everyone. I'm sure that some of the owners and suppliers might have had a different take on things.
Nevertheless, watch the company grow and reading about how excited they were for the "new" look of the McDonalds stores in the 70s (when they all had those red mansard roofs) reminded me of how my local McDonalds looked as a kid, where we always used to go on Halloween night to have our candy scanned by the local police. And it made me take a fresh look at the various McDonald's I've seen driving around lately.
I was surprised to find that it was a rather engaging read. Finished (even this 2nd edition) long before McDonalds became the anti-health and corporate manipulation punching bag that it is today, I found it was rather charming to think of McDs as a tiny little operation with a small menu selling 15 cent hamburgers. I kind of wish I had been able to try their fries back when they cut the potatoes in the stores and made them by hand. I kind of wish I had been around when having a McDonalds open in your town was an exciting prospect (although I imagine it is sort of like what I experienced when a Container Store opened 2 miles from me recently).
Based on the vision that he conveyed in his book, I have to attribute his vision and purpose with McDonald's to something akin to Steve Jobs and Apple. He knew what he wanted, he knew how things should be run, and he wanted to provide a stellar experience to all of his customers. He also strived to be fair with his store owners and with his suppliers and enrich everyone. I'm sure that some of the owners and suppliers might have had a different take on things.
Nevertheless, watch the company grow and reading about how excited they were for the "new" look of the McDonalds stores in the 70s (when they all had those red mansard roofs) reminded me of how my local McDonalds looked as a kid, where we always used to go on Halloween night to have our candy scanned by the local police. And it made me take a fresh look at the various McDonald's I've seen driving around lately.
March 8, 2017
It could have been that because this book was written 30 years ago (1977), but the style was not what I expected. Kroc has a co-author, yet the text isn't crisp.
There are some good lessons here but the largest is the rewards and consequences of ego. Kroc built out the most successful fast food franchise ever. He created a large charity, owned the San Diego Padres, rubbed elbows with so-and-sos and more. The ability to think 'I can do this' requires some amount of optimism, ambition, and ego.
But where does this stop? Kroc also had suboptimal health, three marriages, and no long time business partners. There are tones of loneliness in this book and his most frequent companion is work, which is his true love.
There is much to learn from, but not imitate in this book. Kroc was relentless, created a decentralized command structure, and paid attention to the details. During the 1950's and 60's there was a large expansion of interstate, cars, and drive-thru restaurants. The reason the golden arches became a cultural representation of a category is because of Ray Kroc.
There are some good lessons here but the largest is the rewards and consequences of ego. Kroc built out the most successful fast food franchise ever. He created a large charity, owned the San Diego Padres, rubbed elbows with so-and-sos and more. The ability to think 'I can do this' requires some amount of optimism, ambition, and ego.
But where does this stop? Kroc also had suboptimal health, three marriages, and no long time business partners. There are tones of loneliness in this book and his most frequent companion is work, which is his true love.
There is much to learn from, but not imitate in this book. Kroc was relentless, created a decentralized command structure, and paid attention to the details. During the 1950's and 60's there was a large expansion of interstate, cars, and drive-thru restaurants. The reason the golden arches became a cultural representation of a category is because of Ray Kroc.
June 29, 2016
In recent times, it seems that those who rise to success are always bright, young, and precocious. They hit on an idea and in a relatively short amount of time rode their prowess and an economic wave to success. This was not Ray Kroc founder of the modern McDonalds. Ray Kroc was a journeyman of sales moving from one product to another. When he met the McDonalds brothers and looked to expand their brand he was 52 years old! But as the book states, he simply made it a habit to grind it out. This story is even more impressive than many others because you see a slow, long battle to inch up and up until finally you start to gain some momentum. This is definitely a book to read over and over.
June 1, 2018
Fascinating corporate success story and fascinating man!
Who doesn't dream to be able to launch a second career after his 50's and build a billion USD corporation? Ray Kroc shows we should at least give it a try, life allowing you so.
Not the very best literary style, but who cares? Plenty of good ideas on how and what to do if you want to launch your startup after your first quarter of a century professional career.
I personally value the corporation and the principles that entail its management, I now understand how did they come up. 5 stars to Mr. Kroc!
Who doesn't dream to be able to launch a second career after his 50's and build a billion USD corporation? Ray Kroc shows we should at least give it a try, life allowing you so.
Not the very best literary style, but who cares? Plenty of good ideas on how and what to do if you want to launch your startup after your first quarter of a century professional career.
I personally value the corporation and the principles that entail its management, I now understand how did they come up. 5 stars to Mr. Kroc!
June 11, 2021
This is not the story of the making of McDonald's; it's the story of Ray Kroc. This book doesn't work because he's unlikeable. There's too much personal opinion and boring financial nitty gritty in here and not enough product development or weird/fun/interesting info about Ronald McDonald and the Hamburglar. And Ray, I cannot stress this enough, nobody cares about how you came to buy the San Diego Padres.
February 8, 2019
The way McDonalds came to be is studied by many people in business, and is well known, but this book adds some interesting facts and info to the story from the perspective of the man who made it a business and food empire. The book is full of a lot of interesting observations on human behavior. I still personally think having decent morning coffee is crucial to their success! Lol.
May 16, 2018
Can't finished it. Boring as hell...
October 21, 2020
A guy who felt greener than ever at the age of 52! A guy who was a paper cup salesman (and eventually a milkshake milti mixer salesman) for 30 years!
They think he suddenly had an overnight success. But he credits it to the journey he followed throughout his life. Hence he says that if I am an overnight success, then 30 years is a really long night!
Even though this book had so few pages, it took me quite a while to finish this one. Mainly because the author took the great efforts to explain the inner technicalities that his dream team underwent while building this amazing business.
This story is almost unbelievable. You would think, how is this even possible in real life!But it is. It doesn’t require intellect to get there. Plenty of intellectuals die poor. All it requires is you will to hustle, and grind it out!
They think he suddenly had an overnight success. But he credits it to the journey he followed throughout his life. Hence he says that if I am an overnight success, then 30 years is a really long night!
Even though this book had so few pages, it took me quite a while to finish this one. Mainly because the author took the great efforts to explain the inner technicalities that his dream team underwent while building this amazing business.
This story is almost unbelievable. You would think, how is this even possible in real life!But it is. It doesn’t require intellect to get there. Plenty of intellectuals die poor. All it requires is you will to hustle, and grind it out!
February 25, 2018
I was surprised how engaging I found this short, entertaining biography. Surprised because (a) the basic story is now so well-known -- how Kroc took a good basic premise from the McDonald brothers and built it into a food juggernaut. There's no real question what the end will be -- massive financial success and a big push towards upending of the traditional American way of eating.
Surprised also because, (b) McDonald's today represents so much that is questionable about the American diet. It's hard to remember that in the 1950s a meal from the McDonald brothers restaurant was made from fresh beef, potatoes that were scrubbed, soaked, peeled, cut and cooked in-house, and milkshakes made from actual ice cream and milk. I would love to travel back in time to taste a 1954 meal from the San Bernadino restaurant and compare it with a modern McDonald's hamburger, fries and shake.
The rah-rah explanations he gives for his success (dream big, insist on quality, value, and cleanliness, be willing to take big risks) were fairly predictable. I can see why they'd be inspiring, but they seem rather typical and unsurprising.
What impressed me much more was Kroc's ability to tell a good story -- storytelling was clearly fundamental to his success both as a salesman and as a fast food entrepreneur. The story of how he discovered potatoes had to be 'cured' to get the wonderful taste was genuinely fascinating. And I also was impressed by his honesty, especially about his (clearly powerful) temper. For all the stories about his helping to clean McDonald's parking lots, you also hear about his chewing the head off those who disagree with him.
For me, McDonald's has come to represent such a different thing than it did in the 1970s when this book came out. Kroc himself has come to be seen, in the wake of The Founder, as a far more problematic figure, whether that's true or not (his story about why he opened a McDonald's across the street from the McDonald brothers' later restaurant "the Big D" and drove them out of business is very, very different from what The Founder suggests).
I tend to think of McDonald's as providing cheap, nutritionally deficient food served by adults who work several low-paying part-time jobs to make ends meet. It's useful to remember how different it was in the 1950s/1960s/1970s. Back then, it was much easier to see McDonalds in terms of its positive impact -- things like clean restaurants, predictable food, great value, employment opportunities for teenagers and young adults.
Maybe the great value of this book is that it's a reminder that it's too easy and too simplistic to see McDonald's as either "good" or "bad" for Americans.
Surprised also because, (b) McDonald's today represents so much that is questionable about the American diet. It's hard to remember that in the 1950s a meal from the McDonald brothers restaurant was made from fresh beef, potatoes that were scrubbed, soaked, peeled, cut and cooked in-house, and milkshakes made from actual ice cream and milk. I would love to travel back in time to taste a 1954 meal from the San Bernadino restaurant and compare it with a modern McDonald's hamburger, fries and shake.
The rah-rah explanations he gives for his success (dream big, insist on quality, value, and cleanliness, be willing to take big risks) were fairly predictable. I can see why they'd be inspiring, but they seem rather typical and unsurprising.
What impressed me much more was Kroc's ability to tell a good story -- storytelling was clearly fundamental to his success both as a salesman and as a fast food entrepreneur. The story of how he discovered potatoes had to be 'cured' to get the wonderful taste was genuinely fascinating. And I also was impressed by his honesty, especially about his (clearly powerful) temper. For all the stories about his helping to clean McDonald's parking lots, you also hear about his chewing the head off those who disagree with him.
For me, McDonald's has come to represent such a different thing than it did in the 1970s when this book came out. Kroc himself has come to be seen, in the wake of The Founder, as a far more problematic figure, whether that's true or not (his story about why he opened a McDonald's across the street from the McDonald brothers' later restaurant "the Big D" and drove them out of business is very, very different from what The Founder suggests).
I tend to think of McDonald's as providing cheap, nutritionally deficient food served by adults who work several low-paying part-time jobs to make ends meet. It's useful to remember how different it was in the 1950s/1960s/1970s. Back then, it was much easier to see McDonalds in terms of its positive impact -- things like clean restaurants, predictable food, great value, employment opportunities for teenagers and young adults.
Maybe the great value of this book is that it's a reminder that it's too easy and too simplistic to see McDonald's as either "good" or "bad" for Americans.
November 25, 2022
This was an fairly good read —
What I liked:
1. Learning the story of an iconic American business, including fun details like how things came to be (Big Mac was made to compete with Burger Kjng, McMuffin was an idea by a franchisee)
2. The importance of operating with integrity
3. So many things I took for granted, like McDonald’s was founded after Dairy Queen or they came up with the idea of different sizes for fries
4. Ray Kroc didn’t start working on McDonald’s until he was 52
The meh:
1. His anger and yelling as a way of motivating and managing didn’t resonate
2. Attitudes on gender roles were pretty dated, though maybe he gets a pass since he lived in a different time (he was born in 1902)
Favorite quotes:
• On growth: “I have a saying that goes, ‘As long as you’re green you’re growing, as soon as you’re ripe you start to rot.’” (p. 2)
• On managing stress: “I learned then how to keep problems from crushing me. I refused to worry about more than one thing at a time, and I would not let useless fretting about a problem, no matter how important, keep me from sleeping.” (p. 56)
• On integrity above all else: “A good executive does not like mistakes. He will allow his subordinates an honest mistake once in a while, but he will never condone or forgive dishonesty.” (p. 63)
• On doing right by your people: “I gave them stock—ten percent to June and twenty percent to Harry—and ultimately it would make them rich. At the time, of course, Chicago Transit Authority tokens would have been worth more.” (p. 84)
• On trusting your people: “I believe that if you hire a man to do a job, you ought to get out of the way and let him do it. If you doubt his ability, you shouldn’t have hired him in the first place.” (p. 82) and “It has always been my belief that authority should be placed at the lowest possible level.” (p. 138)
• On diversity of thinking: “I believe that if two executives think the same, one of them is superfluous.” (p. 186)
• On persistence: “Press On: Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.” (p. 195)
• On lack of control over other people’s happiness: “it is impossible to grant someone happiness. The best you can do, as the Declaration of Independence put it, is to give him the freedom to pursue happiness.” (p. 198)
What I liked:
1. Learning the story of an iconic American business, including fun details like how things came to be (Big Mac was made to compete with Burger Kjng, McMuffin was an idea by a franchisee)
2. The importance of operating with integrity
3. So many things I took for granted, like McDonald’s was founded after Dairy Queen or they came up with the idea of different sizes for fries
4. Ray Kroc didn’t start working on McDonald’s until he was 52
The meh:
1. His anger and yelling as a way of motivating and managing didn’t resonate
2. Attitudes on gender roles were pretty dated, though maybe he gets a pass since he lived in a different time (he was born in 1902)
Favorite quotes:
• On growth: “I have a saying that goes, ‘As long as you’re green you’re growing, as soon as you’re ripe you start to rot.’” (p. 2)
• On managing stress: “I learned then how to keep problems from crushing me. I refused to worry about more than one thing at a time, and I would not let useless fretting about a problem, no matter how important, keep me from sleeping.” (p. 56)
• On integrity above all else: “A good executive does not like mistakes. He will allow his subordinates an honest mistake once in a while, but he will never condone or forgive dishonesty.” (p. 63)
• On doing right by your people: “I gave them stock—ten percent to June and twenty percent to Harry—and ultimately it would make them rich. At the time, of course, Chicago Transit Authority tokens would have been worth more.” (p. 84)
• On trusting your people: “I believe that if you hire a man to do a job, you ought to get out of the way and let him do it. If you doubt his ability, you shouldn’t have hired him in the first place.” (p. 82) and “It has always been my belief that authority should be placed at the lowest possible level.” (p. 138)
• On diversity of thinking: “I believe that if two executives think the same, one of them is superfluous.” (p. 186)
• On persistence: “Press On: Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.” (p. 195)
• On lack of control over other people’s happiness: “it is impossible to grant someone happiness. The best you can do, as the Declaration of Independence put it, is to give him the freedom to pursue happiness.” (p. 198)
December 27, 2020
Plainspoken, almost to a fault. Kroc certainly wasn't a great writer, though I wasn't expecting him to be, either. But business books can sometimes have style, e.g., "The Soul of a New Machine" or "Kitchen Confidential". This is not a business book with style.
Ray Kroc was really into himself. There's not much in this memoir in terms of humility or even self-reflection. He describes his career in a linear, matter-of-fact way, and there's no denying that he achieved financial success. But the career stories aren't particularly interesting--reading about the workings of the paper cup business is tiring--and whenever Kroc encountered a problem, he usually managed to (somewhat) work his way out of it by throwing a tantrum. Not necessarily a model to follow. There is also some rather unfortunate sexism in the book--Kroc at one point recounts how he knew he had to get a male secretary because, well, the job he had in mind would be more suited to a man. Yes, those were different times back then, but we have also evolved as a species and a 2016 edition of this book should have edited that nonsense out. Kroc also takes an unfortunate anti-liberal arts stance at the end of the book, citing crudely that "we have too many baccalaureates and not enough butchers" and proposing that universities ought to add technical training branches. Well that's what technical colleges are for, Ray, and if you had any appreciation of the liberal arts throughout your life, maybe you would have written a better book.
The McDonald bros. are suddenly painted out by Kroc to be unreasonable people. Leaves you wondering what the "other side of the story" is--and it isn't here. What was somewhat interesting was reading about the franchising process and how that got started, and some of the recipe-related challenges Kroc faced, including how to duplicate those famous fries. But also a lot of dry stuff about licensing and contract details that the average reader won't find engaging. Kroc only mentions marketing and advertising in passing; would have liked to see more details on the creative campaigns from those years that helped grow the company. Kroc was a dogged, hardworking and enterprising guy--no denying that--but we don't need to be reminded of that so often. This is too self-congratulatory, one-sided, and not particularly well written.
Ray Kroc was really into himself. There's not much in this memoir in terms of humility or even self-reflection. He describes his career in a linear, matter-of-fact way, and there's no denying that he achieved financial success. But the career stories aren't particularly interesting--reading about the workings of the paper cup business is tiring--and whenever Kroc encountered a problem, he usually managed to (somewhat) work his way out of it by throwing a tantrum. Not necessarily a model to follow. There is also some rather unfortunate sexism in the book--Kroc at one point recounts how he knew he had to get a male secretary because, well, the job he had in mind would be more suited to a man. Yes, those were different times back then, but we have also evolved as a species and a 2016 edition of this book should have edited that nonsense out. Kroc also takes an unfortunate anti-liberal arts stance at the end of the book, citing crudely that "we have too many baccalaureates and not enough butchers" and proposing that universities ought to add technical training branches. Well that's what technical colleges are for, Ray, and if you had any appreciation of the liberal arts throughout your life, maybe you would have written a better book.
The McDonald bros. are suddenly painted out by Kroc to be unreasonable people. Leaves you wondering what the "other side of the story" is--and it isn't here. What was somewhat interesting was reading about the franchising process and how that got started, and some of the recipe-related challenges Kroc faced, including how to duplicate those famous fries. But also a lot of dry stuff about licensing and contract details that the average reader won't find engaging. Kroc only mentions marketing and advertising in passing; would have liked to see more details on the creative campaigns from those years that helped grow the company. Kroc was a dogged, hardworking and enterprising guy--no denying that--but we don't need to be reminded of that so often. This is too self-congratulatory, one-sided, and not particularly well written.
May 9, 2017
The title says it all. Ray Kroc was 52, had diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and suffered from a gallbladder surgery all while starting McDonald's. Ray was an average American who simply worked at his goals until he attained them. His story is very similar to Sam Walton's 'Made In America' and they both had similar approaches to how they ran their businesses. Ray was simply a brilliant salesman, promoter and story teller. The fact that he was able to identify a winning formula for a franchise and pursue it, simply amazed me. As for someone who was born and raised in Chicago and learning that Ray Kroc was also a fellow Chicagoan made the book even better.
One of many fascinating attributes about Ray, and this is true for Sam Walton, is his ability to speak in a straight-forward manner. He would say whatever was on his mind and that made him a very effective business leader. His enthusiasm and common sense approach to business made him VERY successful and wealthy along the way to the top.
This is a very inspiring, short and to the point, entertaining story of a fellow American who took years of "grinding it out" before he became an "overnight success."
One of many fascinating attributes about Ray, and this is true for Sam Walton, is his ability to speak in a straight-forward manner. He would say whatever was on his mind and that made him a very effective business leader. His enthusiasm and common sense approach to business made him VERY successful and wealthy along the way to the top.
This is a very inspiring, short and to the point, entertaining story of a fellow American who took years of "grinding it out" before he became an "overnight success."
July 7, 2018
I did not know about Ray Kroc's story until I watched "The Founder (2016)". Initially I debated whether it was worth reading this book, having watched the movie already.
Turns out it was a great decision. This book adds another dimension to the McDonald's story that the movie does not do complete justice too. It is very interesting to read and understand Ray Kroc's internal though process as he made decisions that seems ridiculous at the time.
There a lot of things to learn from Ray Kroc's story, primarily because it is so different from the contemporary examples of success achieved at a young age. Ray Kroc was 53 when he formed McDonalds. This becomes the over-arching theme of this book: success is a result of "grinding it out".
Best thing about the book is how well edited it is. It takes only around 3 hours to read.
Dropping 1 star because some parts of the book are very self-serving and comes across as Ray making excuses for his actions.
Turns out it was a great decision. This book adds another dimension to the McDonald's story that the movie does not do complete justice too. It is very interesting to read and understand Ray Kroc's internal though process as he made decisions that seems ridiculous at the time.
There a lot of things to learn from Ray Kroc's story, primarily because it is so different from the contemporary examples of success achieved at a young age. Ray Kroc was 53 when he formed McDonalds. This becomes the over-arching theme of this book: success is a result of "grinding it out".
Best thing about the book is how well edited it is. It takes only around 3 hours to read.
Dropping 1 star because some parts of the book are very self-serving and comes across as Ray making excuses for his actions.
April 8, 2023
Nothing in the world can beat good old ‘persistence’ 😇
December 11, 2020
Most of the reviewers rating this book low seem to have done so based on his sexist views, and the fact that he married thrice. I have no idea how that has to do anything with 'Making of McDonald's'. And obviously he will try to portray himself as the person wronged in his fight with the McDonald brothers. But that is how most books are written. From the narrator's POV. I personally enjoyed the book. Completed it in a day. I am even tempted to watch the movie now
December 18, 2022
This Book demonstrates how a salesman selling paper cups and multimixers with the core vision of thinking big to make money by enjoying work can create an empire of “Golden Arches”.
Last chapter of the book never fails to inspire the young entrepreneurs. Ray ends the Book by saying “Achievement must be made against the possibility of failure, against the risk of defeat”. That clearly summarises what Ray has done for many years which is “Grinding it out”!
Last chapter of the book never fails to inspire the young entrepreneurs. Ray ends the Book by saying “Achievement must be made against the possibility of failure, against the risk of defeat”. That clearly summarises what Ray has done for many years which is “Grinding it out”!
December 13, 2021
I enjoyed the documentary more! However, it is an interesting insight on one of the biggest fast food companies in the world. I was just so curious on how and why, and I can't deny having some form of respect for the guy, even though the food is now ruining so many people's health.
September 25, 2017
On review of the evidence: Ray Kroc was an asshole
October 29, 2022
Currently craving some macdonalds need to go get me one them machickens 😍
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