Raymond Kroc

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RAYMOND ALBERT KROC

Ray Kroc was born in Oak Park Illinois in the fifth of October of the year 1902. At the age of four Ray's destiny was read when his father took him to a phrenologist who predicted he was going to have a career in food.

In 1917 Ray Kroc, only 15 years old at the time, lied about his age to join the Red Cross as an ambulance driver. While in the Red Cross he was in Company A, which was the same company as Walt Disney. He did not make it to Europe, however, because the war ended too soon. After the war he became a piano player. In 1922 he had also become a salesman for the Lily Tulip Cup Co. While a salesman he was quoted as saying, "The definition of salesmanship is the gentle art of letting people have it your way". However, the beginning of his success was when he met Earl Prince. Earl Prince had invented a multi-mixer. Kroc figured the machine was good enough to be sold and used elsewhere. So in the early 1950's he got permission to go about the country and sell the multi-mixer.

While peddling about the country he came in contact with the super efficient McDonald's hamburger joint, which was started by Dick and Mac McDonald, who were brothers. He saw this place and optimistically envisioned many more opening up all over the country. He convinced the brothers to let him be their first franchisee. They agreed so in 1954 Ray opened up the first McDonalds franchise. A year later, Ray opened up the second McDonalds franchise in Des Plaines, Illinois. Only four years after the second restaurant's opening the one hundredth McDonalds was opened. In 1961 Ray Kroc bought the rights to the McDonalds franchise for a meager 2.7 million dollars. To pay this massive sum at the time he had to mortgage his house and take out numerous loans that would eventually cost him 14 million to pay back. After he bought the rights to the name and the company he forced Dick and Mac to remove their name from their original restaurant. But he went even further when he opened up a McDonalds restaurant a block down the road trying to put them out of business. Also that same year Hamburger University was opened.

In 1963 there were many great things the 500th restaurant was opened and the one- billionth burger was sold.

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