Richard and Maurice McDonald

Richard McDonald
Born Richard James McDonald
(1909-02-16)February 16, 1909
Manchester, New Hampshire, US
Died July 14, 1998(1998-07-14) (aged 89)
Bedford, New Hampshire, US
Resting place Mount Calvary Cemetery, Manchester, New Hampshire, US
Other names Dick McDonald
Occupation Entrepreneur
Known for Co-founder of McDonald's
Spouse(s) Dorothy McDonald
Maurice McDonald
Born Maurice James McDonald
(1902-11-26)November 26, 1902
Manchester, New Hampshire, US
Died December 11, 1971(1971-12-11) (aged 69)
Riverside, California, US
Resting place Desert Memorial Park, Cathedral City, California, US
Other names Mac McDonald
Occupation Entrepreneur
Known for Co-founder of McDonald's
Spouse(s) Dorothy Carter

Richard and Maurice McDonald were American siblings who founded the original McDonald's restaurant in San Bernardino, California, and inventors of the "Speedee Service System".

Business careers

In 1937, the McDonald brothers opened a hot dog stand in Monrovia, California, inspired by a local hot dog stand that seemed to be the only profitable business in town, and which primarily served patrons at a local racetrack. However, the stand had few customers after racing season ended.

Maurice decided to open a bigger hot dog stand in San Bernardino, a large working-class town approximately 50 miles eastward, with a population of approximately 100,000 people. After several banks declined to lend them the money needed for this venture, Bank of America finally approved, and in 1940, with $5,000 in capital, they opened a drive-in restaurant on the corner of 1398 North E Street and West 14th Street (34°07′32″N 117°17′41″W / 34.1255°N 117.2946°W / 34.1255; -117.2946).

The new restaurant proved a surprise success and the brothers were soon making $40,000 a year. Most customers were teenage or young adult males in their 20s who came there primarily to flirt with the carhop young women, or young working families looking for a cheap meal. The McDonald brothers decided that the latter were the ideal customer they wanted to attract.

After a couple years in business, the brothers began making plans to renovate their business model based on the lessons they had learned. One of these involved finding a more efficient way to service customers than the carhop young women, who were very slow, unreliable workers who spent too much time flirting with customers to increase their tips. Another was that hamburgers accounted for a large proportion of total sales. The griddles were much easier to clean than grills and burgers were faster to assemble than sandwiches.

In 1948, the brothers fully redesigned and rebuilt their restaurant in San Bernardino to focus on hamburgers, milk shakes, and french fries.[1] While this new "McDonald's", situated at the same address, was still premised on most customers arriving by car, its design was unique due to a combination of factors:

  • Like the brothers' previous food stands, the design deliberately omitted an interior dining area.
  • There was no waiting staff; orders were taken in person at the front counter, where the food was also delivered.
  • The brothers designed the kitchen area themselves, integrating their acquired knowledge into an assembly line–style layout that maximized efficiency and output.
  • The burgers were pre-cooked and kept warm.

The new restaurant was a success, and with the goal of making $1 million before they turned 50,[2] the McDonald brothers began franchising their system in 1953, beginning with a restaurant in Phoenix, Arizona, operated by Neil Fox.[1] At first they only franchised the system, rather than the name of their restaurant. Later, the brothers started franchising the entire concept, with restaurants built to a standard design, created by Fontana, California, architect Stanley Clark Meston, and featuring Richard's suggestion of the paired Golden Arches, which formed an M when viewed from an angle.

In 1954, the McDonald brothers partnered with Ray Kroc. The franchiser took 1.9 percent of the gross sales, of which the McDonald brothers got 0.5 percent.[3] The brothers wished to maintain only a small number of restaurants, which conflicted with Kroc's goals. Ray Kroc eventually bought them out.

On November 30, 1984, Richard McDonald, the first cook behind the grill of a McDonald's, was served the ceremonial 50 billionth McDonald's hamburger by Ed Rensi, then president of McDonald's USA, at the Grand Hyatt hotel in New York City.[4][5][6]

Deaths

Maurice McDonald died from heart failure in Riverside, California, on December 11, 1971, at the age of 69. He was buried at the Desert Memorial Park, in Cathedral City, California.

Richard McDonald died in Bedford, New Hampshire, on July 14, 1998, at the age of 89 and was buried nearby at the Mount Calvary Cemetery in his home city of Manchester.[2][5] His wife Dorothy died soon after.[7]

In the 2016 film The Founder, Richard McDonald is played by Nick Offerman and John Carroll Lynch portrays Maurice McDonald.

References

  1. 1 2 "History of McDonald's". aboutmcdonalds.com.
  2. 1 2 Gilpin, Kenneth N. (July 16, 1998). "Richard McDonald, 89, Fast-Food Revolutionary". The New York Times. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
  3. ↑ Business Stories of All Time: Ray Kroc; John Wiley & Sons; 1996.
  4. ↑ Anderson, Susan Heller; David W. Dunlap (November 21, 1984). "New York Day By Day; 50 Billion and Still Cooking". The New York Times. Retrieved May 14, 2012.
  5. 1 2 "Restaurant Innovator Richard McDonald Dies at 89: Pioneered McDonald's, World's Largest Restaurant System". Hotel Online. July 1998. Retrieved May 14, 2012.
  6. ↑ "La reina de la cocina (rápida) cumple 100 años". May 30, 2004 El Mundo (Spain).
  7. ↑ "Fast food supremo dies" July 15, 1998. BBC News. Accessed January 6, 2007.
  • Google (11 August 2017). "Google Maps street view of Original McDonalds" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
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