84-488: Ashton (corporately styled as "ashton”) formerly as Chez Ashton is a popular fast food restaurant in Quebec , Canada famous for its poutine . Chez Ashton's origins can be traced to a traveling snack cart started by Ashton Leblond in 1969. It was not until 1972, however, that poutine was first offered. Ashton hooked his customers by initially giving free samples of his poutine. The enterprise grew in popularity until Leblond
168-471: A hamburger restaurant in San Bernardino, California , owned by Richard and Maurice McDonald. Kroc was impressed with the efficiency and speed of the restaurant's operations, and he convinced the brothers to allow him to franchise the concept. Under Kroc's leadership, McDonald's grew rapidly, and he implemented several key innovations, including the creation of a standardized menu and the development of
252-487: A restaurant chain or franchise operation that provides standardized ingredients and/or partially prepared foods and supplies to each restaurant through controlled supply channels. The term "fast food" was recognized in a dictionary by Merriam–Webster in 1951. While the first fast-food restaurant in the United States was a White Castle in 1921, fast-food restaurants had been operating elsewhere much earlier, such as
336-530: A $ 100,000 fine from Commissioner Bowie Kuhn . Frustrated with the team, he handed over operations of the team to his stepson-in-law, Ballard Smith . "There's more future in hamburgers than baseball," Kroc said. After his death, the Padres in 1984 wore a special patch with Kroc's initials: RAK. They won the NL pennant that year against his hometown team Chicago Cubs and played in the 1984 World Series , which they lost to
420-459: A $ 200 million donation to National Public Radio as she believed deeply in the power of public radio. In addition to that, she also donated to community centers serving socially deprived neighborhoods throughout the country. In 1980, following a stroke , Kroc entered an alcohol rehabilitation facility. He died four years later of heart failure at a hospital in San Diego on January 14, 1984, at
504-596: A big presence in Japan, but local gyudon chains such as Sukiya , Matsuya and Yoshinoya also blanket the country. Japan has its own burger chains including MOS Burger , Lotteria and Freshness Burger . Notable Taiwanese fast-food restaurants include 85C Bakery Cafe , TKK Fried Chicken , and Bafang Dumpling. The major fast-food chains in India that serve American fast food are KFC, McDonald's, Starbucks, Burger King, Subway, Pizza Hut, and Dominos. Most of these have had to make
588-400: A counter is available for purchasing French fries , beverages , krokets , frikandellen , kaassoufflés and hamburgers and other snacks can be bought from the automats . FEBO is one of the largest of such types of fast-food restaurants with automats. In addition to home-grown chains such as Supermac's , numerous American chains such as McDonald's and Burger King have also established
672-401: A fast clip. Despite the success of their operation, the partners discovered that the design of the insta-broiler made the unit's heating elements prone to degradation from the drippings of the beef patties. The pair eventually created a mechanized gas grill that avoided the problems by changing the way the meat patties were cooked in the unit. After the original company began to falter in 1959, it
756-639: A franchise of the predecessor to what is now the international fast-food restaurant chain Burger King . McLamore had visited the original McDonald's hamburger stand belonging to the McDonald brothers; sensing potential in their innovative assembly line –based production system, he decided he wanted to open a similar operation of his own. The two partners eventually decided to invest their money in Jacksonville, Florida -based Insta-Burger King. Originally opened in 1953,
840-409: A gamble and dive into the unknown. Due to the importance of consistency, most companies set standards unifying their various restaurant locations with a set of common rules and regulations. Parent companies often rely on field representatives to ensure that the practices of franchised locations are consistent with the company's standards. However, the more locations a fast-food chain has, the harder it
924-485: A highly efficient assembly-line system for food preparation. Kroc also focused on aggressive expansion, opening new restaurants across the United States and eventually in other countries as well. He became the owner of McDonald's Corporation in 1961 and was credited as its founder. After retiring from McDonald's, he owned the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1974 until his death in 1984. Kroc
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#17331064475881008-486: A hybrid between counter-service typical at fast-food restaurants and a traditional table service restaurant. Catering trucks (also called food trucks) often park just outside worksites and are popular with factory workers. In 1896, the first self-service restaurant (the "Stollwerck-Automatenrestaurant") opened in Berlin's Leipziger Straße . Some trace the modern history of fast food in the United States to 7 July 1912, with
1092-691: A lot of changes to their standard menus to cater to Indian food habits and taste preferences. Some emerging Indian food chains include Wow! Momo , Haldiram's , Faaso's and Café Coffee Day . Food habits vary widely across states within India. While typical idli and dosa is fast food in Southern India, in Maharashtra it is misal-pav , pav-bhaji , and poha . Further north in Punjab and Haryana, chole-bhature are very popular and in Bihar and Jharkhand litti-chokha
1176-474: A midst of plummeting sales in Japan, McDonald's added a shrimp burger to the Japanese menu. The choice to introduce a shrimp burger was no coincidence, as a 1989 study stated that world consumption of shrimp was "led by Japan." In March 2010, Taco Bell opened their first restaurant in India. Because non-consumption of beef is a cultural norm in light of India's Dharmic beliefs, Taco Bell had to tailor its menu to
1260-448: A new McDonald's restaurant near the original McDonald's, which had been renamed the Big M because the brothers had neglected to retain rights to the name. Kroc felt that no one would want to eat at a restaurant called "Kroc's" and therefore was adamant about obtaining the rights to "McDonald's". After Kroc opened the nearby McDonald's, the Big M eventually closed. It is alleged that as part of
1344-451: A practice still found in chains such as Krispy Kreme . A clean atmosphere was only part of Kroc's grander plan which separated McDonald's from the rest of the competition and attributes to their great success. Kroc envisioned making his restaurants appeal to suburban families. At roughly the same time as Kroc was conceiving what eventually became McDonald's Corporation, two Miami, Florida businessmen, James McLamore and David Edgerton, opened
1428-826: A presence in Ireland. In 2015, a study developed by Treated.com was published in the Irish Times , which named Swords in County Dublin as Ireland's 'fast-food capital'. Bageterie Boulevard is a Czech fast food chain, headquartered in Prague, which began in 2003 with the opening of its first location in the Dejvice district. Today, the brand operates numerous restaurants in both the Czech Republic and Slovakia. American chains such as Domino's Pizza , McDonald's , Pizza Hut , and KFC have
1512-569: A result, they could produce hamburgers and fries constantly, without waiting for customer orders, and could serve them immediately; hamburgers cost 15 cents, about half the price at a typical diner . Their streamlined production method, which they named the "Speedee Service System" was influenced by the production line innovations of Henry Ford . By 1954, The McDonald brothers' stand was restaurant equipment manufacturer Prince Castle's biggest purchaser of milkshake blending machines. Prince Castle salesman Ray Kroc traveled to California to discover why
1596-426: A sense of reliability to their customers. This sense of reliability coupled with a positive customer experience brings customers to place trust in the company. This sense of trust leads to increased customer loyalty which gives the company a source of recurring business. When a person is presented with a choice of different restaurants to eat at, it is much easier for them to stick with what they know, rather than to take
1680-437: A short amount of time either in anticipation of upcoming orders (i.e., "to stock") or in response to actual orders (i.e., "to order"). Following standard operating procedures, pre-cooked products are monitored for freshness and disposed of if holding times become excessive. This process ensures a consistent level of product quality, and is key to delivering the order quickly to the customer and avoiding labor and equipment costs in
1764-567: Is a fish and chip shop , which specializes in fish and chips and also other foods such as kebabs and burgers. Fish and chip shops are usually owned independently. Burger brands like Wimpy remain, although the majority of branches became Burger King in 1989. In the Netherlands , walk-up fast-food restaurants with automatiek , a typical Dutch vending machine, are found throughout the country, most notably in Amsterdam . In this automatic format,
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#17331064475881848-419: Is a doctored retelling of the transaction by some McDonald's marketing executives. The proposal was likely returned without approval. Kroc has been credited with making a number of innovative changes in the food-service franchise model. Chief among them was the sale of only single-store franchises instead of selling larger, territorial franchises which was common in the industry at the time. Kroc recognized that
1932-432: Is certain, however, is that White Castle made the first significant effort to standardize the food production in, look of, and operation of fast-food hamburger restaurants. William Ingram's and Walter Anderson's White Castle System created the first fast-food supply chain to provide meat, buns, paper goods, and other supplies to their restaurants, pioneered the concept of the multi-state hamburger restaurant chain, standardized
2016-413: Is for the parent company to guarantee that these standards are being followed. Moreover, it is much more expensive to discharge a franchisee for noncompliance with company standards, than it is to discharge an employee for that same reason. As a consequence, parent companies tend to deal with franchisee violations in a more relaxed manner. Many companies also adapt to their different local areas to support
2100-409: Is generally owned either by the parent company of the fast-food chain or a franchisee – an independent party given the right to use the company's trademark and trade name. In the latter case, a contract is made between the franchisee and the parent company, typically requiring the franchisee to pay an initial, fixed fee in addition to a continual percentage of monthly sales. Upon opening for business,
2184-653: Is highly processed and prepared on a large scale from bulk ingredients using standardized cooking and production methods and equipment. It is usually rapidly served in cartons, bags, or in a plastic wrapping, in a fashion which reduces operating costs by allowing rapid product identification and counting, promoting longer holding time, avoiding transfer of bacteria, and facilitating order fulfillment. In most fast-food operations, menu items are generally made from processed ingredients prepared at central supply facilities and then shipped to individual outlets where they are cooked (usually by grill, microwave, or deep-frying) or assembled in
2268-508: Is their staple fast food. Fast food In Pakistan varies. There are many international chains serving fast food, including Nandos , Burger King, KFC, McDonald's, Domino's Pizza , Fatburger , Dunkin' Donuts, Subway, Pizza Hut, Hardee's, Telepizza , Steak Escape and Gloria Jean's Coffees . In addition to the international chains, in local cuisine people in Pakistan like to have biryani , bun kebabs , Nihari , kebab rolls etc. as fast food. In
2352-548: Is usually American fast-food chains expanding into Canada, Canadian chains such as Tim Hortons have expanded into 22 states in the United States, but are more prominent in border states such as New York and Michigan . Tim Hortons has started to expand to other countries outside of North America. The Pita Pit franchise originated in Canada and has expanded to the United States and other Countries. The Canadian Extreme Pita franchise sells low fat and salt pita sandwiches with stores in
2436-716: The Detroit Tigers . Kroc was inducted posthumously as part of the inaugural class of the San Diego Padres Hall of Fame in 1999. The Kroc Foundation supported research, treatment and education about various medical conditions, such as alcoholism , diabetes , arthritis and multiple sclerosis . It is best known for establishing the Ronald McDonald House , a nonprofit organization that provides free housing for parents close to medical facilities where their children are receiving treatment. In 1973, Kroc received
2520-596: The Jewish Shabbat ; there is also a kosher McDonald's in Argentina . In Egypt , Indonesia , Morocco , Saudi Arabia , Malaysia , Pakistan , and Singapore , all menu items are halal . Many fast-food operations have more local and regional roots, such as White Castle in the Midwest United States, along with Hardee's (owned by CKE Restaurants , which also owns Carl's Jr. , whose locations are primarily on
2604-503: The McDonald brothers and was its CEO from 1967 to 1973. Kroc is credited with the global expansion of McDonald's, turning it into the most successful fast food corporation in the world by revenue . Kroc was born in Oak Park, Illinois , and worked a variety of jobs, including as a paper cup salesman and a musician, before eventually becoming a milkshake mixer salesman. In 1954, he visited
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2688-485: The 1920s and throughout the Great Depression , Kroc worked a variety of jobs, including a paper-cup salesman, a Florida real estate agent , and a pianist in multiple bands . After World War II, Kroc found employment as a milkshake mixer salesman for the foodservice equipment manufacturer Prince Castle. When Prince Castle mixers sales plummeted because of competition from lower-priced Hamilton Beach products, Kroc
2772-482: The 1920s, only to lose everything with the stock market crash in 1929 . At the age of 15, Kroc made the decision to leave high school, contrary to his parents' wishes. Following the United States' entry into World War I , he lied about his age in order to enlist with the American Red Cross as an ambulance driver . However, his service was short-lived, as the war concluded shortly after his enlistment. During
2856-539: The 2016 John Lee Hancock film The Founder . The film's depiction of Kroc's franchise development, nationwide expansion, and ultimate acquisition of McDonald's, offered a critical view of his treatment of the founding McDonald brothers. Kroc is featured in the documentary series The Food That Built America on the History channel. Kroc is featured in Tim Harford 's BBC World Service radio show 50 Things That Made
2940-806: The Burger King market found that this name was already a registered trademark to a takeaway food shop in Adelaide . Thus, the Burger King Australian market was forced to pick another name, selecting the Hungry Jack's brand name. Prior to this, the Australian fast-food market consisted primarily of privately owned take-away shops. In New Zealand , the fast-food market began in the 1970s with KFC (opened 1971), Pizza Hut (1974), and McDonald's (1976), and all three remain popular today. Burger King and Domino's entered
3024-840: The Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement . A lifelong Republican , Kroc believed firmly in self-reliance and staunchly opposed government welfare and the New Deal . Kroc donated $ 255,000 to Richard Nixon 's reelection campaign in 1972, and he was controversially accused by some, notably Senator Harrison Williams , of making the donation to influence Nixon to veto a minimum wage bill making its way through Congress. Kroc's first two marriages to Ethel Fleming (1922–1961) and Jane Dobbins Green (1963–1968) ended in divorce. Kroc and Fleming met in 1919, married in 1922, and then moved to Chicago, Illinois . Their daughter Marilyn
3108-452: The Japanese fast food company Yoshinoya , started in Tokyo in 1899. Today, American-founded fast-food chains such as McDonald's ( est. 1940) and KFC (est. 1952) are multinational corporations with outlets across the globe. Variations on the fast-food restaurant concept include fast-casual restaurants and catering trucks . Fast-casual restaurants have higher sit-in ratios, offering
3192-505: The McDonald's Corporation's size to force suppliers to conform to this ethos. Other prominent international fast-food companies include Burger King, the number two hamburger chain in the world, known for promoting its customized menu offerings ( Have it Your Way ). Another international fast-food chain is KFC, which sells chicken-related products and is the number 1 fast-food company in the People's Republic of China. A fast-food chain restaurant
3276-774: The Philippines, fast-food is the same as in the US. However, the only difference is that they serve Filipino dishes and a few American products being served Filipino-style. Jollibee is the leading fast-food chain in the country with 1,000 stores nationwide. Most international fast-food chains like Subway, McDonald's, Burger King etc. are represented in major Russian cities. There are also local chains like Teremok specializing in Russian cuisine or having elements of it added into their menu. Saudi Arabia has many international fast-food chains including KFC, Burger King, McDonald's and many others. However,
3360-847: The Portland, Oregon area. Also, Whataburger is a popular burger chain in the American South, and Jack in the Box is located in the West and South. Canada pizza chains Topper's Pizza and Pizza Pizza are primarily located in Ontario . Coffee chain Country Style operates only in Ontario, and competes with the famous coffee and donut chain Tim Hortons . Maid-Rite restaurant is one of the oldest chain fast-food restaurants in
3444-505: The US in 1955 (1974 in the UK). It has become a phenomenally successful enterprise in terms of financial growth, brand-name recognition, and worldwide expansion. Ray Kroc, who bought the franchising license from the McDonald brothers, pioneered concepts which emphasized standardization. He introduced uniform products, identical in all respects at each outlet, to increase sales. Kroc also insisted on cutting food costs as much as possible, eventually using
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3528-402: The US will reach $ 142 billion in sales in 2006, a 5% increase over 2005. In comparison, the full-service restaurant segment of the food industry is expected to generate $ 173 billion in sales. Fast food has been losing market share to so-called fast-casual restaurants, which offer more robust and expensive cuisines. McDonald's , a fast-food supplier, opened its first franchised restaurant in
3612-1051: The United States West Coast); Krystal , Bojangles' Famous Chicken 'n Biscuits , Cook Out , and Zaxby's restaurants in the American Southeast; Raising Cane's in Louisiana and other mostly Southern states; Hot 'n Now in Michigan and Wisconsin; In-N-Out Burger (in California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, and Texas, with a few locations in Oregon) and Original Tommy's chains in Southern California; Dick's Drive-In in Seattle, Washington and Arctic Circle in Utah and other western states; Halo Burger around Flint, Michigan and Burgerville in
3696-630: The United States. Founded in 1926, their specialty is a loose meat hamburger. Maid-Rites can be found in the midwest - mainly Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, and Missouri. International brands dominant in North America include McDonald's, Burger King and Wendy's , the number three burger chain in the USA; Dunkin' Donuts , a New England –based chain; automobile oriented Sonic Drive-In 's from Oklahoma City ; Starbucks , Seattle-born coffee-based fast-food beverage corporation; KFC and Taco Bell , which are both part of
3780-506: The ability to influence franchisees, Kroc knew that it would be difficult to achieve that goal. By granting a franchisee the right to only one store location at a time, Kroc retained for the franchise some measure of control over the franchisee, or at least those desiring to someday own the rights to another store. Kroc became frustrated with the McDonald brothers' desire to maintain a small number of restaurants. The brothers also consistently told Kroc he could not make changes to things such as
3864-573: The age of 81. He was buried at the El Camino Memorial Park in Sorrento Valley, San Diego . Kroc's acquisition of the McDonald's franchise as well as his "Kroc-style" business tactics are the subject of Mark Knopfler 's 2004 song " Boom, Like That ". Kroc co-authored the book Grinding It Out , first published in 1977 and reissued in 2016; it served as the basis for a biographical movie about Kroc. Michael Keaton portrayed Kroc in
3948-467: The buyout Kroc promised, based on a handshake agreement, to continue the annual 1% royalty of the original agreement, but there is no evidence of this beyond a claim by a nephew of the McDonald brothers. Neither of the brothers publicly expressed disappointment over the deal. Speaking to someone about the buyout, Richard McDonald reportedly said that he had no regrets. Kroc maintained the assembly line "Speedee Service System" for hamburger preparation that
4032-481: The company had purchased almost a dozen of the units as opposed to the normal one or two found in most restaurants of the time. Enticed by the success of the McDonald's concept, Kroc signed a franchise agreement with the brothers and began opening McDonald's restaurants in Illinois. By 1961, Kroc had bought out the brothers and created what is now the modern McDonald's Corporation. One of the major parts of his business plan
4116-594: The country to deal with the demand. Automats remained extremely popular throughout the 1920s and 1930s. The company also popularized the notion of "take-out" food, with their slogan "Less work for Mother". Most historians agree that the American company White Castle was the first fast-food outlet, starting in Wichita, Kansas in 1916 with food stands and founding in 1921, selling hamburgers for five cents apiece from its inception and spawning numerous competitors and emulators. What
4200-409: The day, namely breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner. Siu mei is offered throughout the day. Dai pai dong and traditional Hong Kong street food may be considered close relatives of the conventional fast-food outlet. Ray Kroc Raymond Albert Kroc (October 5, 1902 – January 14, 1984) was an American businessman. He obtained the fast food company McDonald's in 1961 from
4284-464: The design. Collaborative design techniques, such as rapid visualization and computer-aided design of restaurant kitchens are now being used to establish equipment specifications that are consistent with restaurant operating and merchandising requirements. In the United States, consumers spent about $ 110 billion on fast food in 2000 (which increased from $ 6 billion in 1970). The National Restaurant Association forecasts that fast-food restaurants in
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#17331064475884368-638: The dietary distinctions of Indian culture by replacing all of the beef with chicken. By the same token, completely meatless options were introduced to the menu due to the prevalence of vegetarianism throughout the country. Multinational corporations typically modify their menus to cater to local tastes, and most overseas outlets are owned by native franchisees. McDonald's in India , for example, uses chicken and paneer rather than beef and pork in their burgers because Hinduism traditionally forbids eating beef. In Israel some McDonald's restaurants are kosher and respect
4452-515: The founders and owners of the chain, Keith G. Cramer and his wife's uncle Matthew Burns, opened their first stores around a piece of equipment known as the Insta-Broiler. The Insta-Broiler oven proved so successful at cooking burgers, they required all of their franchises to carry the device. By 1959 McLamore and Edgarton were operating several locations within the Miami-Dade area and were growing at
4536-525: The franchisee oversees the day-to-day operations of the restaurant and acts as a manager of the store. Once the contract expires, the parent company may choose to "renew the contract, sell the franchise to another franchisee, or operate the restaurant itself." In most fast-food chains, the number of franchised locations exceeds the number of company owned locations. Fast-food chains rely on consistency and uniformity, in internal operations and brand image, across all of their restaurant locations in order to convey
4620-716: The front counter or drive through in real time. Wireless systems allow orders placed at drive through speakers to be taken by cashiers and cooks. Drive through and walk through configurations will allow orders to be taken at one register and paid at another. Modern point of sale systems can operate on computer networks using a variety of software programs. Sales records can be generated and remote access to computer reports can be given to corporate offices, managers, troubleshooters, and other authorized personnel. Food service chains partner with food equipment manufacturers to design highly specialized restaurant equipment, often incorporating heat sensors , timers, and other electronic controls into
4704-411: The go" and often does not require traditional cutlery and is eaten as a finger food. Common menu items at fast-food outlets include fish and chips , sandwiches , pitas , hamburgers , fried chicken , french fries , chicken nuggets , tacos , pizza , and ice cream , although many fast-food restaurants offer "slower" foods like chili , mashed potatoes , and salads . Modern commercial fast food
4788-501: The individual stores. Because of commercial emphasis on taste, speed, product safety, uniformity, and low cost, fast-food products are made with ingredients formulated to achieve an identifiable flavor, aroma, texture, and "mouth feel" and to preserve freshness and control handling costs during preparation and order fulfillment. This requires a high degree of food engineering . The use of additives , including salt, sugar, flavorings and preservatives , and processing techniques may limit
4872-415: The industry, is a specific type of restaurant that serves fast-food cuisine and has minimal table service . The food served in fast-food restaurants is typically part of a " meat-sweet diet ", offered from a limited menu, cooked in bulk in advance and kept hot, finished and packaged to order, and usually available for take away , though seating may be provided. Fast-food restaurants are typically part of
4956-540: The larger Canadian cities. Other Canadian fast-food chains such as Manchu Wok serve North American style Asian foods; this company is located mainly in Canada and the US, with other outlets on US military bases on other continents. Harvey's is a Canadian-only burger restaurant chain, present in every province. Australia's fast-food market began in the late 1960s and early 1970s, with the opening of several American franchises including KFC (1967), Pizza Hut (1970), and McDonald's (1971), followed by Burger King . However,
5040-589: The largest restaurant conglomerate in the world, Yum! Brands ; and Domino's Pizza , a pizza chain known for popularizing home delivery of fast food. Subway is known for their sub sandwiches and are the largest restaurant chain to serve such food items. Quiznos a Denver-based sub shop is another fast-growing sub chain, yet with over 6,000 locations it is still far behind Subway's 34,000 locations. Other smaller sub shops include Blimpie , Jersey Mike's Subs , Mr. Goodcents, Jimmy John's , Potbelly Sandwich Shop , Penn Station , and Firehouse . A&W Restaurants
5124-587: The local customers. Strategic applies to the specific characteristics of the franchise that will change from the basic format followed by all to fit in the local area. For the most part, someone visiting a McDonald's in the United States will have the same experience as someone visiting a McDonald's in Japan. The interior design, the menu, the speed of service, and the taste of the food will all be very similar. However, some differences do exist to tailor to particular cultural differences. For example, in October 2005 during
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#17331064475885208-447: The look and construction of the restaurants themselves, and even developed a construction division that manufactured and built the chain's prefabricated restaurant buildings. The McDonald's Speedee Service System and, much later, Ray Kroc 's McDonald's outlets and Hamburger University all built on principles, systems and practices that White Castle had already established between 1923 and 1932. The hamburger restaurant most associated by
5292-565: The market later in the 1990s. Australian pizza chains Eagle Boys and Pizza Haven also entered the market in the 1990s, but their New Zealand operations were later sold to Pizza Hut and Domino's. A few fast-food chains have been founded in New Zealand, including Burger Fuel (founded 1995), Georgie Pie (founded 1977, but closed 1998 after falling into financial trouble and being bought out by McDonald's) and Hell Pizza (founded 1996). The United Kingdom's signature type of fast-food restaurant
5376-459: The most popular fast-food restaurant of Saudi Arabia is Albaik . Saudis regard Albaik as better than KFC. In Hong Kong, although McDonald's and KFC are quite popular, three major local fast-food chains provide Hong Kong-style fast food, namely Café de Coral , Fairwood , and Maxim MX . Café de Coral alone serves more than 300,000 customers daily. Unlike western fast-food chains, these restaurants offer four different menus at different times of
5460-496: The national franchise of the McDonald's system. I would like to inquire if there may be an opportunity for a McDonald's in your Disney Development." According to one account, Disney agreed but with a stipulation to increase the price of fries from ten cents to fifteen cents, allowing himself the profit. Kroc refused to gouge his loyal customers, leaving Disneyland to open without a McDonald's restaurant. Writer Eric Schlosser , writing in his book Fast Food Nation , believes that this
5544-513: The needs of the customers. Sometimes it is necessary for a franchisee to modify the way the restaurant/store runs to meet the needs of local customers. As referenced in Bodey's "Localization and Customer Retention for Franchise Service Systems" article, J. L. Bradach claims that a franchise will either use the tactical or strategic local response. Tactical applies to accounting for hiring of personnel and suppliers as well as financial decisions to adapt to
5628-437: The newspaper that the San Diego Padres were for sale. The team had been conditionally sold to Joseph Danzansky, a Washington, D.C. grocery-chain owner, who planned to move the Padres to Washington. However, the sale was tied up in lawsuits when Kroc purchased the team for $ 12 million, keeping the team in San Diego. In Kroc's first year of ownership in 1974 , the Padres lost 102 games yet drew over one million in attendance,
5712-412: The nutritional value of the final product. A value meal is a group of menu items offered together at a lower price than they would cost individually. A hamburger, side of fries, and drink commonly constitute a value meal—or combo depending on the chain. Value meals at fast-food restaurants are common as a merchandising tactic to facilitate bundling , up-selling , and price discrimination . Most of
5796-634: The opening of a fast-food restaurant called the Automat in New York. The Automat was a cafeteria with its prepared foods behind small glass windows and coin-operated slots. Joseph Horn and Frank Hardart had already opened the first Horn & Hardart Automat in Philadelphia in 1902, but their "Automat" at Broadway and 13th Street, in New York City, created a sensation. Numerous Automat restaurants were built around
5880-406: The original blueprint, but despite Kroc's pleas, the brothers never sent any formal letters that legally allowed the changes in the chain. In 1961, he bought the company for $ 2.7 million, the figure that the brothers gave him when pressed for an amount. Kroc went "ballistic" over hearing the amount and asked if he could pay it incrementally, but the brothers refused. Obtaining the funds for the buyout
5964-513: The public with the term "fast food" was created by two brothers originally from Nashua, New Hampshire . Richard and Maurice McDonald opened a barbecue drive-in in 1940 in the city of San Bernardino, California . After discovering that most of their profits came from hamburgers, the brothers closed their restaurant for three months and reopened it in 1948 as a walk-up stand offering a simple menu of hamburgers, french fries , shakes , coffee, and Coca-Cola , served in disposable paper wrapping. As
6048-422: The sale of exclusive licenses for large markets was the quickest way for a franchisor to make money, but he also saw in the practice a loss in the franchisor's ability to exert control over the course and direction of a chain's development. Above all else, and in keeping with contractual obligations with the McDonald brothers, Kroc wanted uniformity in service and quality among all of the McDonald's locations. Without
6132-675: The standard of box office success in the major leagues during that era. Their previous highest attendance figure was 644,772 in 1972 . The San Diego Union said Kroc was "above all, a fan of his team". On April 9, 1974, while the Padres were on the brink of losing a 9–5 decision to the Houston Astros in the season opener at San Diego Stadium , Kroc took the public address microphone in front of 39,083 fans. "I've never seen such stupid ballplaying in my life," he said. The crowd cheered in approval. In 1979, Kroc's public interest in future free agent players Graig Nettles and Joe Morgan drew
6216-564: The time of Kroc's death in 1984, McDonald's had 7,500 outlets in the United States and in 31 other countries and territories. The total system-wide sales of its restaurants were more than $ 8 billion in 1983, and his personal fortune amounted to some $ 600 million. Kroc retired from running McDonald's in 1973. While he was looking for new challenges, he decided to return to baseball, which was his lifelong favorite sport. One day, while sitting in his yacht in Fort Lauderdale, Florida , he read in
6300-473: The time they can be upgraded to a larger side and drink for a small fee. The perceived creation of a "discount" on individual menu items in exchange for the purchase of a "meal" is also consistent with the loyalty marketing school of thought . To make quick service possible and to ensure accuracy and security, many fast-food restaurants have incorporated hospitality point of sale systems . This makes it possible for kitchen crew people to view orders placed at
6384-455: Was able to open a restaurant with a dining room open year-round in 1976. Today, the franchise has grown to include 25 restaurants in the Quebec City region. This Canada-based restaurant or restaurant chain article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Fast food restaurant A fast-food restaurant , also known as a quick-service restaurant ( QSR ) within
6468-489: Was born in 1924. His third wife, Joan Kroc , was a philanthropist who significantly increased her charitable contributions after Kroc's death. She donated to a variety of causes that interested her, such as the promotion of peace and preventing nuclear proliferation . Upon her death in 2003, her remaining $ 2.7 billion estate was distributed among a number of nonprofit organizations, including $ 1.5 billion donation to The Salvation Army to build 26 Kroc Centers , along with
6552-477: Was born on October 5, 1902, in Oak Park, Illinois , near Chicago , to Czech-American parents, Rose Mary [ née Hrach] (1881–1959) and Alois "Louis" Kroc (1879–1937). Alois was born in Horní Stupno, part of Břasy near Rokycany . Rose's father Vojtěch was from Ševětín and her maternal grandfather Josef Kotilínek was from Bořice . After emigrating to America, Alois made a fortune speculating on land during
6636-452: Was difficult due to existing debt from expansion. However, Harry Sonneborn , whom Kroc referred to as his "financial wizard", was able to raise the required funds. At the closing, Kroc became annoyed that the brothers would not transfer to him the real estate and rights to the original San Bernardino location. The brothers had told Kroc they were giving the operation, property and all, to the founding employees. In his anger, Kroc later opened
6720-528: Was intrigued by Richard and Maurice McDonald , who had purchased eight of his mixers for their restaurant in San Bernardino, California . Kroc visited the brothers in 1954 to see why they were making so many milkshakes. After finalizing a franchise agreement with the McDonald brothers, Kroc sent a letter to Walt Disney . They had met as ambulance attendant trainees in Old Greenwich, Connecticut , during World War I. Kroc wrote, "I have very recently taken over
6804-586: Was introduced by the McDonald brothers in 1948. He standardized operations , ensuring every burger would taste the same in every restaurant. He set strict rules for franchisees on how the food was to be made, portion sizes, cooking methods and times, and packaging. Kroc also rejected cost-cutting measures like using soybean filler in the hamburger patties. These strict rules also were applied to customer service standards with such mandates that money be refunded to clients whose orders were not correct or to customers who had to wait more than five minutes for their food. By
6888-402: Was originally a United States and Canada fast-food brand, but it is currently an International fast-food corporation in several countries. In Canada the majority of fast-food chains are American owned or were originally American owned but have since set up a Canadian management/headquarters locations such as Panera Bread , Chipotle Mexican Grill , Five Guys , and Carl's Jr. Although the case
6972-568: Was purchased by McLamore and Edgerton who renamed the company Burger King. While fast-food restaurants usually have a seating area in which customers can eat the food on the premises, orders are designed to be taken away, and traditional table service is rare. Orders are generally taken and paid for at a wide counter, with the customer waiting by the counter for a tray or container for their food. A " drive-through " service can allow customers to order and pick up food from their cars. Nearly from its inception, fast food has been designed to be eaten "on
7056-410: Was to promote cleanliness of his restaurants to growing groups of Americans that had become aware of food safety issues. As part of his commitment to cleanliness, Kroc often took part in cleaning his own Des Plaines, Illinois outlet by hosing down the garbage cans and scraping gum off the cement. Another concept Kroc added was great swaths of glass which enabled the customer to view the food preparation,
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