1 00:00:09,160 --> 00:00:11,360 Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome to Food Stuff. I'm Any Reefs and 2 00:00:11,480 --> 00:00:15,600 Speaker 1: i'd Lauren Vocaba and uh, today we're talking about our 3 00:00:15,640 --> 00:00:19,880 Speaker 1: first we're doing a first foray into fast food. Yes, 4 00:00:20,720 --> 00:00:26,400 Speaker 1: and it is probably the biggest fast food company probably absolutely, yeah, 5 00:00:26,440 --> 00:00:30,320 Speaker 1: in the world for sure McDonald McDonald And I've got 6 00:00:30,320 --> 00:00:33,800 Speaker 1: to say more than anything else you listeners have written 7 00:00:33,800 --> 00:00:38,040 Speaker 1: in about McDonald's, Yeah, especially international stories about McDonald's, and 8 00:00:38,080 --> 00:00:40,640 Speaker 1: then as we have read some of those listener males, 9 00:00:41,240 --> 00:00:44,120 Speaker 1: more other national stories about it. There's a lot of 10 00:00:44,280 --> 00:00:48,760 Speaker 1: McDonald's zeitgeist out there. There absolutely is, and it's come 11 00:00:48,840 --> 00:00:51,120 Speaker 1: up in a lot of our episodes as well. We 12 00:00:51,120 --> 00:00:54,280 Speaker 1: talked about it in French Food, Apple Pie, Soda Tipping, 13 00:00:55,080 --> 00:00:59,120 Speaker 1: and our brother podcast Stuff you Should Know as an 14 00:00:59,280 --> 00:01:04,720 Speaker 1: entire episode on McDonald's called how McDonald's Works. Appropriately. It 15 00:01:04,840 --> 00:01:07,560 Speaker 1: is delightful. I totally recommend you listen to it. I 16 00:01:07,560 --> 00:01:10,319 Speaker 1: mean also like it covers a lot of different material 17 00:01:10,360 --> 00:01:12,680 Speaker 1: than we're going to cover today. So right, yeah, So 18 00:01:12,800 --> 00:01:14,520 Speaker 1: if at the end you're like, you know, I could 19 00:01:14,520 --> 00:01:18,080 Speaker 1: really use some more McDonald's, well, Stuff you should Know 20 00:01:18,120 --> 00:01:24,280 Speaker 1: has you covered the So what is it? Do you? Yeah, 21 00:01:24,240 --> 00:01:28,040 Speaker 1: I'll know this one yeah, I would guess so if 22 00:01:28,600 --> 00:01:32,680 Speaker 1: if you don't. McDonald's is a chain of fast food restaurants, 23 00:01:33,360 --> 00:01:36,320 Speaker 1: and you probably definitely knew that because you can find 24 00:01:36,360 --> 00:01:40,880 Speaker 1: them almost anywhere in one nineteen countries, although not Iceland 25 00:01:41,200 --> 00:01:45,399 Speaker 1: last I checked, as they were around about thirty six thousand, 26 00:01:45,400 --> 00:01:49,200 Speaker 1: two hundred and fifty eight of these restaurants. Around thirty 27 00:01:49,240 --> 00:01:53,200 Speaker 1: thousand of them franchised um and of the three fifty closures, 28 00:01:53,960 --> 00:01:56,840 Speaker 1: most of them took place in the US and China. 29 00:01:57,040 --> 00:02:02,520 Speaker 1: The largest percentage of revenue comes from Europe, mainly the UK, France, 30 00:02:02,600 --> 00:02:06,360 Speaker 1: Russia and Germany. The US comes in second, accounting fort 31 00:02:06,760 --> 00:02:09,360 Speaker 1: of the revenue, and the remaining percent is Asia, Africa 32 00:02:09,760 --> 00:02:13,840 Speaker 1: and the Middle East. But sales are not as impressive 33 00:02:13,880 --> 00:02:16,320 Speaker 1: as they used to be. No, they fell on the 34 00:02:16,440 --> 00:02:20,840 Speaker 1: US by two point one percent and its annual net 35 00:02:20,840 --> 00:02:24,679 Speaker 1: income dropped, which is a pretty that's a pretty big 36 00:02:24,680 --> 00:02:29,880 Speaker 1: percent to amasily seven point four billion. Oh my goodness, 37 00:02:29,880 --> 00:02:32,519 Speaker 1: how they go on. That's equivalent to the ninetie largest 38 00:02:32,560 --> 00:02:34,880 Speaker 1: economy in the world. By the way, Um, this is 39 00:02:34,919 --> 00:02:38,080 Speaker 1: about a four percent decline and customers just about a 40 00:02:38,080 --> 00:02:41,120 Speaker 1: million people, And I'll speculate this has a lot to 41 00:02:41,120 --> 00:02:45,079 Speaker 1: do with your five guys or Chipotle's. You know, those 42 00:02:45,120 --> 00:02:48,720 Speaker 1: fast casual kind of dining concepts. Yeah, fast casual. And 43 00:02:48,760 --> 00:02:56,120 Speaker 1: also those dreaded millennials. We ruined everything, just gave us 44 00:02:56,120 --> 00:03:00,919 Speaker 1: a big thumbs down. He's right, Um, so, the millennial 45 00:03:00,960 --> 00:03:06,240 Speaker 1: generation is allegedly supposedly shifting to healthier food, more ethical 46 00:03:06,320 --> 00:03:10,160 Speaker 1: food is what we're going for. Whether or not we're 47 00:03:10,200 --> 00:03:14,160 Speaker 1: getting it is questionable. But and the words of global 48 00:03:14,240 --> 00:03:18,640 Speaker 1: restaurant consultant Aaron Allen, McDonald's has picked way too many 49 00:03:18,639 --> 00:03:21,240 Speaker 1: fights with way too many people. They're fighting Taco Bell 50 00:03:21,280 --> 00:03:25,080 Speaker 1: over breakfast and Starbucks over coffee. They're basically spreading themselves 51 00:03:25,080 --> 00:03:28,040 Speaker 1: to thton And I mean it's not that they're not 52 00:03:28,080 --> 00:03:30,880 Speaker 1: trying to turn things around though. Oh no, They've tried 53 00:03:30,919 --> 00:03:36,400 Speaker 1: several things, and they introduced the Create Your Taste menu 54 00:03:36,560 --> 00:03:39,000 Speaker 1: too about two thousand of its restaurants in the US. 55 00:03:39,520 --> 00:03:45,240 Speaker 1: This menu allowed you to individualize what individualization that can't be, 56 00:03:45,960 --> 00:03:48,920 Speaker 1: which with your drink and fries running about eight bucks 57 00:03:48,920 --> 00:03:51,760 Speaker 1: as compared to the five dollars for ordering off the 58 00:03:51,800 --> 00:03:55,200 Speaker 1: standard menu. But as you probably discerned from the past tense, 59 00:03:55,360 --> 00:03:59,240 Speaker 1: it's no longer around most create your taste menus were 60 00:03:59,240 --> 00:04:03,400 Speaker 1: replaced by less robust taste crafted menu kind of sounds 61 00:04:03,440 --> 00:04:08,600 Speaker 1: like glasses, is it blenscrafted? Lenscrafted, taste crafted? You know, 62 00:04:09,320 --> 00:04:12,320 Speaker 1: I guess that's a similar concept. Over the past few decades, 63 00:04:12,400 --> 00:04:15,760 Speaker 1: McDonald's has been testing out healthier menu options your fruits 64 00:04:15,760 --> 00:04:19,120 Speaker 1: and your vegetables, decreasing the fortune sizes, learning the salt 65 00:04:19,160 --> 00:04:21,800 Speaker 1: content by about ten percent, things like that. And since 66 00:04:21,839 --> 00:04:24,720 Speaker 1: Americans get on average eleven percent of their calories from 67 00:04:24,760 --> 00:04:29,080 Speaker 1: fast food, this is nothing to sneeze at. That number 68 00:04:29,200 --> 00:04:33,159 Speaker 1: shocked me. I guess the fast food tends to be 69 00:04:33,160 --> 00:04:37,280 Speaker 1: more calorically dense than a lot of other foods. But still, 70 00:04:37,320 --> 00:04:41,599 Speaker 1: that who that's a large number, that is that is 71 00:04:41,720 --> 00:04:46,560 Speaker 1: quite quite a percentage. According to The Guardian, McDonald's serves 72 00:04:46,760 --> 00:04:50,280 Speaker 1: sixty nine million people a day, which is more than 73 00:04:50,320 --> 00:04:53,640 Speaker 1: the population of Great Britain and equivalent to around one 74 00:04:53,680 --> 00:04:58,479 Speaker 1: percent of the human population on Earth. What a day, 75 00:04:58,520 --> 00:05:01,600 Speaker 1: per day, every day? And I got hypnotized. There's this 76 00:05:01,640 --> 00:05:04,920 Speaker 1: website called every second, and I went to the every 77 00:05:04,960 --> 00:05:08,600 Speaker 1: second page of for McDonald's and it was about seventy 78 00:05:08,600 --> 00:05:11,200 Speaker 1: five burgers a second after second after second, and the 79 00:05:11,279 --> 00:05:13,919 Speaker 1: number just goes up and up and up. Oh yeah, 80 00:05:14,240 --> 00:05:17,120 Speaker 1: it was something in the u s. It's estimated that 81 00:05:17,160 --> 00:05:21,960 Speaker 1: about of customers get their food via drive through, which 82 00:05:22,440 --> 00:05:26,800 Speaker 1: led to some interesting product innovations like the mcgriddles and 83 00:05:26,960 --> 00:05:30,520 Speaker 1: on the go answer to the pancake. I really feel 84 00:05:30,520 --> 00:05:31,920 Speaker 1: like I have to make a confession right now. I 85 00:05:31,960 --> 00:05:34,000 Speaker 1: haven't been to McDonald since I was four years old. 86 00:05:34,320 --> 00:05:37,960 Speaker 1: Four I wasn't you avoided it. I was one of 87 00:05:38,000 --> 00:05:40,920 Speaker 1: those kids that like went on strike. I don't know. 88 00:05:41,320 --> 00:05:43,440 Speaker 1: I picked a fight with McDonald's at four years old 89 00:05:43,440 --> 00:05:45,680 Speaker 1: and I haven't been back. What was the fight about? 90 00:05:46,800 --> 00:05:50,880 Speaker 1: I think it was about capitalism. I was four year old. 91 00:05:50,920 --> 00:05:55,719 Speaker 1: Annie really was a trouble job. I basically like to 92 00:05:55,760 --> 00:06:00,919 Speaker 1: pick fights with things that were popular. Okay, um, so 93 00:06:01,040 --> 00:06:02,880 Speaker 1: I I don't know what a lot of these popular 94 00:06:02,920 --> 00:06:04,960 Speaker 1: things are. I don't know. Like mcgriddle, I don't know. Oh. 95 00:06:05,520 --> 00:06:07,600 Speaker 1: Mcgriddle is like an egg bit muffin. It's it's a 96 00:06:07,600 --> 00:06:11,160 Speaker 1: breakfast sandwich, but instead of having a savory bun, it's this. 97 00:06:11,360 --> 00:06:17,239 Speaker 1: It's this maple flavored sweet bun. So okay, so you can, 98 00:06:17,760 --> 00:06:21,680 Speaker 1: but it's not soggy from maple syrup. It's just maple syrup, 99 00:06:22,520 --> 00:06:28,880 Speaker 1: so okay, mcgriddle. Interesting. I I don't go often, usually 100 00:06:28,880 --> 00:06:31,120 Speaker 1: if I'm like on a road trip, or very occasionally 101 00:06:31,120 --> 00:06:34,560 Speaker 1: if I get an intense craving m h. I mean 102 00:06:34,720 --> 00:06:37,599 Speaker 1: I've been in when I go. When I travel, I 103 00:06:37,640 --> 00:06:39,880 Speaker 1: like to go in and look at the menu, just 104 00:06:39,920 --> 00:06:43,800 Speaker 1: to see how it's different. But you don't order anything. No. Never. 105 00:06:44,480 --> 00:06:48,560 Speaker 1: I almost broke in China and gotta mcflurry so close, 106 00:06:48,680 --> 00:06:51,320 Speaker 1: but I did not. Mcflurries are delicious usually if you 107 00:06:51,360 --> 00:06:53,880 Speaker 1: dip French fries in them. It's very heard that it's 108 00:06:54,000 --> 00:06:56,920 Speaker 1: very important to my livelihood. I have heard that, not livelihood, 109 00:06:56,920 --> 00:07:00,719 Speaker 1: lifestyle anyway. Yes, let's talk about employment and met numbers. 110 00:07:01,040 --> 00:07:06,599 Speaker 1: McDonald's employees for hundred twenty thousand people in the US, 111 00:07:07,040 --> 00:07:11,040 Speaker 1: and we've heard from some of you. Hello. Throughout the year. Yeah, 112 00:07:11,040 --> 00:07:14,920 Speaker 1: we're sorry. Throughout the year, McDonald's hires a million Americans, 113 00:07:14,960 --> 00:07:17,640 Speaker 1: which comes out to be a one fifty pc turnover 114 00:07:17,720 --> 00:07:21,440 Speaker 1: eight wow. Yeah. The company estimates that one in eight 115 00:07:21,480 --> 00:07:26,120 Speaker 1: Americans have worked at a McDonald's in their lifetime. Who Worldwide, 116 00:07:26,200 --> 00:07:30,640 Speaker 1: McDonald's has seven hundred sixty one thousand employees, and that's 117 00:07:30,680 --> 00:07:34,400 Speaker 1: more than the population of Luxembourg. Some of these employees 118 00:07:34,440 --> 00:07:39,480 Speaker 1: maintend the Hamburger University. Hamburger University, the first of these 119 00:07:39,640 --> 00:07:42,600 Speaker 1: open was located outside of Chicago, and it has seen 120 00:07:42,640 --> 00:07:46,520 Speaker 1: over eighty thousand students on its roster. There are now 121 00:07:46,600 --> 00:07:50,960 Speaker 1: seven campuses around the globe with over two hundred seventy 122 00:07:50,960 --> 00:07:53,720 Speaker 1: five thousand graduates, and the one in Shanghai has an 123 00:07:53,720 --> 00:07:58,880 Speaker 1: acceptance rate of less than one percent. For contrast, the 124 00:07:59,080 --> 00:08:03,560 Speaker 1: the acceptance rate at Harvard's like six. It's harder to 125 00:08:03,600 --> 00:08:07,240 Speaker 1: get into the hamburg University in Shanghai. And it's not 126 00:08:07,320 --> 00:08:09,640 Speaker 1: it's not about Hamburgers. Well, I mean, I mean it is, 127 00:08:09,680 --> 00:08:13,320 Speaker 1: but it isn't. It's a restaurant management skills program. Um. 128 00:08:13,360 --> 00:08:17,400 Speaker 1: You can graduate with a degree in hamburger Ology, or 129 00:08:17,520 --> 00:08:20,920 Speaker 1: apply credits towards an associate or bachelor's degree at some 130 00:08:21,000 --> 00:08:26,280 Speaker 1: other non strictly Hamburger related school if you can find one. 131 00:08:27,240 --> 00:08:32,160 Speaker 1: After a series of protest in, McDonald's raised the minimum 132 00:08:32,160 --> 00:08:36,000 Speaker 1: wage for its US employees from nine dollars and one 133 00:08:36,080 --> 00:08:39,319 Speaker 1: cent an hour to nine dollars and ninety cents an hour, 134 00:08:39,640 --> 00:08:42,360 Speaker 1: but only at company owned restaurants, as opposed to the 135 00:08:42,600 --> 00:08:48,640 Speaker 1: twelve hundred franchised operated locations. The employees at franchise locations 136 00:08:48,679 --> 00:08:51,760 Speaker 1: typically get the state minimum wage of wherever they are located, 137 00:08:52,320 --> 00:08:55,840 Speaker 1: and in Miriam Webster Dictionary added mic job as a 138 00:08:55,880 --> 00:09:01,439 Speaker 1: word meaning low paying job. The previous CEO was paid 139 00:09:01,520 --> 00:09:05,640 Speaker 1: nine million dollars that year. Just you know why I 140 00:09:06,679 --> 00:09:10,160 Speaker 1: on the note of franchise eas versus company owned. There 141 00:09:10,320 --> 00:09:14,400 Speaker 1: is quite a bit of tension distrust between franchise ease 142 00:09:14,440 --> 00:09:19,680 Speaker 1: and quote unquote the man the head McDonald's office. Survey 143 00:09:19,720 --> 00:09:22,440 Speaker 1: of franchisees found that on a scale of one to five, 144 00:09:22,520 --> 00:09:25,800 Speaker 1: one being poor, five being excellent, the average was one 145 00:09:25,840 --> 00:09:30,480 Speaker 1: point for eight. That's pretty low the all time averages 146 00:09:30,520 --> 00:09:34,240 Speaker 1: two point one. Not a great relationship, it seems. But 147 00:09:34,360 --> 00:09:36,960 Speaker 1: it is worth pointing out that only thirty two American 148 00:09:37,000 --> 00:09:42,400 Speaker 1: franchisees were surveys of the nineteen thousands something something. Yeah, 149 00:09:42,480 --> 00:09:46,240 Speaker 1: I've got rather large, larger number. We'll be talking about 150 00:09:46,240 --> 00:09:48,840 Speaker 1: this a bit more later briefly, but there is McDonald's 151 00:09:48,880 --> 00:09:53,559 Speaker 1: museum in the Plaine, Illinois, or there was as recording. 152 00:09:53,600 --> 00:09:56,679 Speaker 1: It closed two days ago. Oh what Yeah, it was 153 00:09:56,720 --> 00:10:00,120 Speaker 1: scheduled to be demolished due to flooding. If any you 154 00:10:00,200 --> 00:10:02,319 Speaker 1: listeners have been to it. Please please please write in 155 00:10:02,440 --> 00:10:07,960 Speaker 1: secures and photos please yes, yes. With sales including a 156 00:10:08,000 --> 00:10:11,920 Speaker 1: toy since the introduction of the Happy Meal, McDonald's also 157 00:10:11,960 --> 00:10:14,840 Speaker 1: happens to be the largest toy distributor in the world. 158 00:10:15,000 --> 00:10:18,719 Speaker 1: That blew my mind. Me too. Now, that is one 159 00:10:18,760 --> 00:10:22,439 Speaker 1: thing that young Annie when she gave up McDonald's. That 160 00:10:22,520 --> 00:10:25,120 Speaker 1: was the hardest. When my brother should be like, look 161 00:10:25,200 --> 00:10:32,520 Speaker 1: at you and I'm sitting there, no Hamburger, no toy. Also, 162 00:10:32,640 --> 00:10:38,000 Speaker 1: the slogan I'm love it with that vocal tag is 163 00:10:38,040 --> 00:10:42,200 Speaker 1: an entire justin Timberlake song from two thousand three. What 164 00:10:42,440 --> 00:10:44,480 Speaker 1: I thought it was way older than that one, and 165 00:10:44,520 --> 00:10:46,800 Speaker 1: to the song came out first. He wrote it for 166 00:10:46,960 --> 00:10:49,839 Speaker 1: mcnwhile he didn't write it, but it was for McDonald's 167 00:10:50,440 --> 00:10:54,520 Speaker 1: and it came out first because he It's this thing 168 00:10:54,600 --> 00:10:59,080 Speaker 1: called reverse engineering of advertising. Yeah. Um, And there's a 169 00:10:59,160 --> 00:11:01,839 Speaker 1: lot of drama behind it if you're interested in in that. 170 00:11:02,480 --> 00:11:05,599 Speaker 1: There's also a clip of Destiny's Child singing too oh my. 171 00:11:07,920 --> 00:11:11,440 Speaker 1: I watched the music video and was, well, there's no words, 172 00:11:12,600 --> 00:11:15,959 Speaker 1: but there are words for some flops McDonald's has had 173 00:11:16,000 --> 00:11:21,240 Speaker 1: throughout the years. Um, some of them include the Mick 174 00:11:21,320 --> 00:11:26,280 Speaker 1: Lean Deluxe, the Mike Hot Dom, the Macpasta, the Mac Pizza, 175 00:11:26,440 --> 00:11:29,080 Speaker 1: the Mic Arabia, which was a flatbread with chicken, lettuce 176 00:11:29,080 --> 00:11:32,800 Speaker 1: and garlic sauce, and the Mick Africa out of Norway, 177 00:11:32,840 --> 00:11:35,600 Speaker 1: which was beeven vegetables in a pita and you can 178 00:11:35,600 --> 00:11:39,640 Speaker 1: imagine the pr was varied, not not good. Yeah, Norway 179 00:11:39,640 --> 00:11:42,160 Speaker 1: probably shouldn't be coming out with a Mick Africa, especially 180 00:11:42,200 --> 00:11:43,960 Speaker 1: in the middle of a that that that was when 181 00:11:44,160 --> 00:11:48,079 Speaker 1: there was a huge like drought and starvation issues going on. Yeah, 182 00:11:48,120 --> 00:11:49,880 Speaker 1: it was two thousand two and there was a there 183 00:11:49,920 --> 00:11:52,000 Speaker 1: was a large famin in Africa at the time, so 184 00:11:52,040 --> 00:11:57,040 Speaker 1: they quickly pulled that one. That's good for them. Yeah. Um. 185 00:11:57,080 --> 00:11:59,360 Speaker 1: Depending on where you are in the world, as I 186 00:11:59,440 --> 00:12:01,240 Speaker 1: kind of you did too earlier, you're going to find 187 00:12:01,240 --> 00:12:04,240 Speaker 1: different things on the menu. In India where for a 188 00:12:04,320 --> 00:12:06,840 Speaker 1: large part of the population cows are sacred. You did 189 00:12:06,880 --> 00:12:09,079 Speaker 1: not eat them. You're not going to find much beef 190 00:12:09,760 --> 00:12:16,360 Speaker 1: few hamburgers, beef hamburgers. Yes. Yes. And because McDonald's has 191 00:12:16,440 --> 00:12:21,360 Speaker 1: become this global force, it has come to symbolize so 192 00:12:21,440 --> 00:12:25,680 Speaker 1: much more than just a fast food restaurant chain. On 193 00:12:25,760 --> 00:12:30,080 Speaker 1: the positive, more corporate speak end of the spectrum, it 194 00:12:30,160 --> 00:12:36,199 Speaker 1: represents America and American family values, consistency, speed, innovation, um 195 00:12:36,240 --> 00:12:39,400 Speaker 1: and this, as you can imagine, was by the company's design. 196 00:12:40,240 --> 00:12:45,199 Speaker 1: On the negative end, it represents American cultural imperialism, this 197 00:12:45,280 --> 00:12:50,160 Speaker 1: NonStop machine of capitalism that has devalued quality and originality 198 00:12:50,240 --> 00:12:53,559 Speaker 1: for quantity and cheapness. There have been protests bombing's death 199 00:12:53,559 --> 00:12:56,160 Speaker 1: set McDonald's around the world. Seriously, I read a very 200 00:12:56,200 --> 00:12:59,840 Speaker 1: in depth essay about McDonald's in an international affairs class, 201 00:12:59,840 --> 00:13:04,200 Speaker 1: and college economist Thomas Friedman named a whole theory about it, 202 00:13:04,800 --> 00:13:08,320 Speaker 1: the Golden Arches theory of conflict prevention. What Yeah. He 203 00:13:08,520 --> 00:13:11,560 Speaker 1: argued that globalization is a force of peace, and he 204 00:13:11,640 --> 00:13:14,840 Speaker 1: pointed to the fact that at the time, no two 205 00:13:14,880 --> 00:13:18,320 Speaker 1: countries with McDonald's and them had ever been to with 206 00:13:18,400 --> 00:13:22,280 Speaker 1: at war with each other, but changed when the U. 207 00:13:22,360 --> 00:13:27,160 Speaker 1: S and NATO bombed Serbia. Both had McDonald's, so kind 208 00:13:27,200 --> 00:13:31,840 Speaker 1: of a big it's become a big thing, literally and 209 00:13:32,280 --> 00:13:36,640 Speaker 1: psychologically and culturally very large. And we'll talk a little 210 00:13:36,640 --> 00:13:40,480 Speaker 1: bit more about that later, but first let's get into 211 00:13:40,679 --> 00:13:44,199 Speaker 1: the history, the the humble beginnings of how this b 212 00:13:44,320 --> 00:13:48,240 Speaker 1: a myth started. But even before that, let's get into 213 00:13:48,280 --> 00:14:00,200 Speaker 1: a quick break for a word from our sponsor, and 214 00:14:00,320 --> 00:14:03,480 Speaker 1: we're back. Thank you sponsor, Yes, thank you. I wanted 215 00:14:03,520 --> 00:14:07,600 Speaker 1: to start this by saying it is very interesting, indeed, 216 00:14:08,200 --> 00:14:11,400 Speaker 1: to read the history of the McDonald's on the McDonald's 217 00:14:11,400 --> 00:14:15,680 Speaker 1: official website versus pretty much anywhere else and anyone else 218 00:14:15,720 --> 00:14:23,400 Speaker 1: writing about it. Yeah, it's um stark, it's very different. Yes, Anyway, 219 00:14:24,280 --> 00:14:28,800 Speaker 1: our story begins with the Great Depression, the Great Depression. Yep, 220 00:14:29,000 --> 00:14:31,840 Speaker 1: that's where we're going to start, and that's where we 221 00:14:31,840 --> 00:14:34,080 Speaker 1: always want to start, right. There were two brothers from 222 00:14:34,080 --> 00:14:37,520 Speaker 1: New Hampshire, Richard and Maurice McDonald's or Dick and mac 223 00:14:38,160 --> 00:14:41,800 Speaker 1: or McDonald's singular. Yeah, just the one d that's true. 224 00:14:41,840 --> 00:14:47,760 Speaker 1: It's not not a pluralized McDonald's. Yeah, not yet. Just kidding, Okay. 225 00:14:48,840 --> 00:14:51,400 Speaker 1: After their father was fired from a shoe factory, they 226 00:14:51,400 --> 00:14:53,480 Speaker 1: both got it in their head that they really wanted 227 00:14:53,520 --> 00:14:56,560 Speaker 1: to be their own bosses, and not just that they 228 00:14:56,600 --> 00:15:00,440 Speaker 1: wanted to be millionaires. Millionaires by the time they turned fifty. 229 00:15:00,600 --> 00:15:03,800 Speaker 1: It's ambitious, that's nice, Yeah, very ambitious. There was not 230 00:15:03,880 --> 00:15:06,520 Speaker 1: a lot of opportunity for millions in their home in town, however, 231 00:15:07,120 --> 00:15:10,080 Speaker 1: so they packed up and went west to Hollywood, hoping 232 00:15:10,120 --> 00:15:16,920 Speaker 1: to become big time producers. Movie producers. However, becoming a 233 00:15:16,960 --> 00:15:20,880 Speaker 1: big time producer can be a bit difficult, Yeah, strange, 234 00:15:21,080 --> 00:15:24,760 Speaker 1: and they ended up moving movie sets and no millions 235 00:15:24,800 --> 00:15:28,600 Speaker 1: were forthcoming. They did open a movie theater in Los Angeles, 236 00:15:28,640 --> 00:15:31,320 Speaker 1: but it didn't last very long, so they sold it in. 237 00:15:33,560 --> 00:15:36,600 Speaker 1: After their stint in show biz didn't pan out, they 238 00:15:36,640 --> 00:15:39,400 Speaker 1: decided to take a swing at the restaurant biz. For 239 00:15:39,440 --> 00:15:43,040 Speaker 1: their first venture, they made an octagonal open air structure 240 00:15:43,120 --> 00:15:47,040 Speaker 1: out of borrowed wood near the Foothill Flying Field, or 241 00:15:47,080 --> 00:15:49,520 Speaker 1: as it was sometimes called, America's Friendly say A Port. 242 00:15:50,120 --> 00:15:52,440 Speaker 1: The areas surrounding it attracted all types, whether they were 243 00:15:52,480 --> 00:15:55,080 Speaker 1: looking at watch planes or hoping to catch glimpse of 244 00:15:55,160 --> 00:15:58,760 Speaker 1: someone famouss or both, And they made a deal with 245 00:15:58,800 --> 00:16:01,240 Speaker 1: Sun Kissed of Orange his fame. This was at the 246 00:16:01,240 --> 00:16:05,000 Speaker 1: height of orange juices heyday to buy up their fallen 247 00:16:05,080 --> 00:16:10,360 Speaker 1: oranges twenty dozen oranges for a quarter. Yeah. They called 248 00:16:10,400 --> 00:16:13,440 Speaker 1: their stand air drone and they sold orange juice and 249 00:16:13,480 --> 00:16:18,640 Speaker 1: hot dogs. Caring that I wouldn't natural Yeah, but it 250 00:16:18,720 --> 00:16:21,960 Speaker 1: was a success enough so to open two more locations. 251 00:16:22,400 --> 00:16:24,840 Speaker 1: They still had their eyes on that millionaire prize though, 252 00:16:24,880 --> 00:16:29,320 Speaker 1: and they thought the future was in automobiles, especially because 253 00:16:29,600 --> 00:16:32,560 Speaker 1: they thought that the five day American work week would 254 00:16:32,720 --> 00:16:34,840 Speaker 1: decrease to four, you know, have more time to drive, 255 00:16:35,080 --> 00:16:39,200 Speaker 1: drive around. Still waiting on that one. Yeah, not not 256 00:16:39,320 --> 00:16:42,240 Speaker 1: here yet, Nope. To that end, they spent two hundred 257 00:16:42,240 --> 00:16:45,320 Speaker 1: dollars to slice their stand in half and relocated to 258 00:16:45,840 --> 00:16:49,680 Speaker 1: San Bernardino, California, and they were able to talk their 259 00:16:49,720 --> 00:16:54,840 Speaker 1: way into a five thousand dollar a loone may close 260 00:16:54,880 --> 00:16:59,360 Speaker 1: to Historic Group sixty six. They opened McDonald's the very 261 00:16:59,400 --> 00:17:04,159 Speaker 1: first mc do very first. However, it was not a 262 00:17:04,240 --> 00:17:07,280 Speaker 1: McDonald's that we would recognize or that it's not what 263 00:17:07,359 --> 00:17:09,680 Speaker 1: we would know today. It was a drive in, meaning 264 00:17:09,680 --> 00:17:12,720 Speaker 1: there was very little annoy of seating, and female servers 265 00:17:12,720 --> 00:17:15,600 Speaker 1: and tight shirts and short skirts and major at boots 266 00:17:15,640 --> 00:17:18,840 Speaker 1: would bring food out to your parked car. These outfits 267 00:17:18,880 --> 00:17:23,760 Speaker 1: were recycled from a local theater. By the way. Then yeah, 268 00:17:24,119 --> 00:17:30,400 Speaker 1: then there was their menu, slow cooked, slow cooked, Lauren barbecue, 269 00:17:31,040 --> 00:17:35,119 Speaker 1: and imported hickory chips. The go to combo was a 270 00:17:35,160 --> 00:17:38,000 Speaker 1: barbecue sandwich and chips for thirty five cents. You can 271 00:17:38,080 --> 00:17:41,639 Speaker 1: also find things like to Molly's, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, chili, 272 00:17:41,840 --> 00:17:44,480 Speaker 1: pork and means, and yes, a basic burger. As I 273 00:17:44,520 --> 00:17:46,480 Speaker 1: said before, i've been to McDonald's in a long time. 274 00:17:47,080 --> 00:17:50,320 Speaker 1: I don't know. Maybe that's not super weird. Now that's 275 00:17:50,359 --> 00:17:54,680 Speaker 1: super weird. Okay, cool like at American locations. Okay, it's 276 00:17:54,720 --> 00:17:58,520 Speaker 1: definitely not what they're known for. Um. This first iteration 277 00:17:58,680 --> 00:18:01,320 Speaker 1: of McDonald's was the six US with up to one 278 00:18:02,320 --> 00:18:04,920 Speaker 1: cars in the parking law of the weekends. But Dick 279 00:18:04,960 --> 00:18:08,199 Speaker 1: and Mac we're looking to differentiate their business from the 280 00:18:08,240 --> 00:18:13,199 Speaker 1: crowd after increased driving competition post World War Two, and 281 00:18:13,240 --> 00:18:16,800 Speaker 1: they noticed at the Hamburger accounted for eight of their 282 00:18:16,800 --> 00:18:21,520 Speaker 1: sales m So they started chipping away at the menu, 283 00:18:21,840 --> 00:18:24,840 Speaker 1: and the more items they got rid of, the more 284 00:18:24,880 --> 00:18:28,720 Speaker 1: Hamburgers they sold. It makes sense. The brothers also noticed, well, 285 00:18:28,920 --> 00:18:31,399 Speaker 1: they kind of came to the conclusion that the driving 286 00:18:31,440 --> 00:18:36,040 Speaker 1: concept was unwieldy. It was slow and disorganized and had 287 00:18:36,080 --> 00:18:39,360 Speaker 1: a lot of overhead. On top of that, the customer 288 00:18:39,440 --> 00:18:43,560 Speaker 1: base of reality littering, jukebox listening, smoking, kiss and or 289 00:18:43,680 --> 00:18:49,760 Speaker 1: sex having teenagers was scaring off the family values crowd. 290 00:18:50,280 --> 00:18:54,199 Speaker 1: They closed their doors for a three month redesign, and 291 00:18:54,320 --> 00:18:57,359 Speaker 1: there was some laying out and choreographing with red chalk 292 00:18:57,720 --> 00:19:01,159 Speaker 1: on a tennis court involved, and they reopened. They were 293 00:19:01,160 --> 00:19:04,119 Speaker 1: a drive in restaurant, no more. Where once there had 294 00:19:04,160 --> 00:19:07,760 Speaker 1: been bellhops, there were now self service counters. Where once 295 00:19:07,760 --> 00:19:10,879 Speaker 1: there had been plates in civilware and a dishwasher, there 296 00:19:10,880 --> 00:19:13,840 Speaker 1: were now paper wrappings and cups and no dish washer. 297 00:19:14,359 --> 00:19:17,280 Speaker 1: Where once there had been barbecue and Tomali's, there were 298 00:19:17,320 --> 00:19:22,560 Speaker 1: now only nine items hamburgers, cheeseburgers, chips, pie, milk, coffee, 299 00:19:22,560 --> 00:19:25,520 Speaker 1: and three flavors of soft tricks available only in one 300 00:19:25,640 --> 00:19:31,480 Speaker 1: twelve ounce size. Yeah, and they were really focused on speed, 301 00:19:32,280 --> 00:19:36,000 Speaker 1: and they got the idea to adapt Henry Ford's automobile 302 00:19:36,040 --> 00:19:39,679 Speaker 1: assembly line for their restaurant with what they called the 303 00:19:39,720 --> 00:19:43,679 Speaker 1: Speedy Service System. Speedy so many ease involved. Yes, there 304 00:19:43,680 --> 00:19:46,040 Speaker 1: are a lot of these. Here's how it worked. They 305 00:19:46,080 --> 00:19:49,480 Speaker 1: were twelve employees, all male, and each specialized in a 306 00:19:49,520 --> 00:19:51,960 Speaker 1: specific thing. A lot of the food was already made 307 00:19:52,000 --> 00:19:54,840 Speaker 1: to save time and also to save time, all the 308 00:19:54,880 --> 00:19:58,760 Speaker 1: burgers were the same catch up mustard, both dispensed from 309 00:19:58,760 --> 00:20:03,280 Speaker 1: a custom made dispenser, not one, but two pickles and onions. 310 00:20:03,800 --> 00:20:05,760 Speaker 1: If you wanted something else, you just have to wait. 311 00:20:05,800 --> 00:20:10,040 Speaker 1: But stuff. This efficiency and lack of choice meant that 312 00:20:10,359 --> 00:20:14,000 Speaker 1: orders were frequently ready before they were placed, and you 313 00:20:14,000 --> 00:20:16,720 Speaker 1: could see inside to to marvel as your food was 314 00:20:16,760 --> 00:20:20,359 Speaker 1: being made grill to counter in thirty seconds, they said, 315 00:20:21,280 --> 00:20:25,119 Speaker 1: sounding a bit more like the McDonald's. We know, right, No, 316 00:20:25,280 --> 00:20:30,719 Speaker 1: you're right that their first customer was a nine year 317 00:20:30,720 --> 00:20:34,800 Speaker 1: old girl who bought a bag of burghers. But there 318 00:20:34,840 --> 00:20:40,000 Speaker 1: were problems, problems, problems. One the fired car ops would 319 00:20:40,080 --> 00:20:46,520 Speaker 1: park outside and heckle yeah. Two customers were confused about 320 00:20:46,520 --> 00:20:49,520 Speaker 1: the self service counter and the silverware. Where's the silverware? 321 00:20:49,520 --> 00:20:53,119 Speaker 1: Where do we sit? Questions? Confusion? So what did the 322 00:20:53,160 --> 00:20:56,480 Speaker 1: brothers do? What we all do in times of crisis? 323 00:20:57,000 --> 00:21:00,000 Speaker 1: Add some French fries and milkshake? Oh thanks, everything about 324 00:21:00,280 --> 00:21:04,600 Speaker 1: it does. The milkshakes were triple thick, triple thick, I know, 325 00:21:05,480 --> 00:21:07,960 Speaker 1: and that milkshake bought every about it to the yard 326 00:21:08,560 --> 00:21:13,119 Speaker 1: are the self service counter? Perhaps it's more accurate. And 327 00:21:13,200 --> 00:21:17,240 Speaker 1: the fifteen cent hamburgers didn't hurt either, and they were 328 00:21:17,240 --> 00:21:19,080 Speaker 1: one of the first in the industry to use in 329 00:21:19,200 --> 00:21:22,240 Speaker 1: fred heat lamps to keep their fries warm. The fries 330 00:21:22,480 --> 00:21:25,240 Speaker 1: were special. I'm sure I probably don't need to tell 331 00:21:25,280 --> 00:21:28,159 Speaker 1: you that. Um Max spent a lot of time trying 332 00:21:28,200 --> 00:21:31,040 Speaker 1: to pin down the method to get perfect crunchy fries, 333 00:21:31,040 --> 00:21:34,760 Speaker 1: and he eventually arrived at trying out Idaho potatoes in 334 00:21:34,800 --> 00:21:37,359 Speaker 1: the desert to bring out the sugars. There was a 335 00:21:37,400 --> 00:21:40,160 Speaker 1: very specific timing involved as well. There's that's still part 336 00:21:40,160 --> 00:21:44,040 Speaker 1: of what they do today. Dick was the inventor of 337 00:21:44,040 --> 00:21:46,280 Speaker 1: the two and apart from the speedy system, he came 338 00:21:46,359 --> 00:21:49,960 Speaker 1: up with the golden arches, you know, the rounded curves 339 00:21:49,960 --> 00:21:51,560 Speaker 1: at the top of the end and the logo and 340 00:21:51,560 --> 00:21:55,760 Speaker 1: they used to kind of like bookend the restaurant. Yeah, yeah, 341 00:21:56,160 --> 00:21:58,760 Speaker 1: not not so anymore, but that was his original vision. 342 00:21:59,600 --> 00:22:04,160 Speaker 1: By the nineteen fifties, McDonald's was making dollars a year 343 00:22:04,359 --> 00:22:07,400 Speaker 1: thanks to reduced labor cost in their clientele of mostly 344 00:22:07,440 --> 00:22:11,440 Speaker 1: families and businessmen. They passed the one million Hamburger mark 345 00:22:11,760 --> 00:22:16,000 Speaker 1: by and as part of their success, they attracted a 346 00:22:16,000 --> 00:22:19,160 Speaker 1: lot of imitators. How did they deal with these inmitators? Oh, 347 00:22:19,200 --> 00:22:23,080 Speaker 1: they were like, come at me, bro. They'd give potential 348 00:22:23,400 --> 00:22:27,320 Speaker 1: competitors tours, they'd give them details. When I asked yeah. 349 00:22:27,840 --> 00:22:30,880 Speaker 1: Then they realized that they could sell their formula and 350 00:22:30,920 --> 00:22:34,240 Speaker 1: get some extra cash. So when prime X, the company 351 00:22:34,280 --> 00:22:37,480 Speaker 1: that McDonald's gets its our got It's shortening from, published 352 00:22:37,520 --> 00:22:41,800 Speaker 1: an article about the French fries at McDonald's, an American restaurant, 353 00:22:41,840 --> 00:22:44,680 Speaker 1: which is an industry magazine, the brothers ran an ad 354 00:22:44,680 --> 00:22:47,600 Speaker 1: in the same issue that read the most important sixty 355 00:22:47,680 --> 00:22:52,600 Speaker 1: seconds of your entire life. Wow. Yeah. A lot of 356 00:22:52,640 --> 00:22:55,359 Speaker 1: dishonest folks tried to copy the brother's success. Most of 357 00:22:55,400 --> 00:22:58,119 Speaker 1: them failed, but some honest ones tried to franchise it, 358 00:22:58,280 --> 00:23:01,720 Speaker 1: like Neil Fox, who was an oil executive from Phoenix. 359 00:23:02,119 --> 00:23:06,119 Speaker 1: He paid dollars to franchise, largely because he thought the 360 00:23:06,200 --> 00:23:13,240 Speaker 1: name was lucky. His words not wrong, well no, apparently not, yeah, 361 00:23:13,359 --> 00:23:17,400 Speaker 1: but this got him then got him a training blue 362 00:23:17,440 --> 00:23:21,800 Speaker 1: print Emmanuel a structure with the two golden arches um 363 00:23:21,840 --> 00:23:25,199 Speaker 1: and the works of how to make McDonald's work only 364 00:23:25,920 --> 00:23:28,560 Speaker 1: for each of the six franchise locations they tested it. 365 00:23:28,560 --> 00:23:32,400 Speaker 1: It didn't work, not like the brothers wanted it to anyway. Um, 366 00:23:32,480 --> 00:23:35,160 Speaker 1: and that might be why when Carnation of Carnation Milk 367 00:23:35,720 --> 00:23:38,760 Speaker 1: came in and offered to erect McDonald's all across the US. 368 00:23:38,800 --> 00:23:42,120 Speaker 1: They turned it down. Max said about the choice, more places, 369 00:23:42,160 --> 00:23:48,480 Speaker 1: more problems, but McDonald's are pretty much everywhere now right, Yeah, 370 00:23:48,960 --> 00:23:53,440 Speaker 1: So how did that happen? Well, McDonalds attracted one particular 371 00:23:53,520 --> 00:23:56,280 Speaker 1: person we have to talk about, and it brings us 372 00:23:56,280 --> 00:24:00,639 Speaker 1: back to those milkshakes, which played an integral role in 373 00:24:00,840 --> 00:24:04,560 Speaker 1: what McDonald's would become. But first, one last quick break 374 00:24:04,600 --> 00:24:16,880 Speaker 1: for a word from our sponsor, and we're back. Thank 375 00:24:16,960 --> 00:24:21,840 Speaker 1: you sponsor. So the year was nineteen fifty four and 376 00:24:21,920 --> 00:24:25,720 Speaker 1: one Ray crock Of, fifty two year old second generation 377 00:24:25,760 --> 00:24:29,359 Speaker 1: immigrant from Czechoslovakia, was having a hard time of things. 378 00:24:29,560 --> 00:24:33,040 Speaker 1: Oh no. He had been working as a middlingly successful 379 00:24:33,080 --> 00:24:36,600 Speaker 1: traveling salesman for about thirty years, peddling paper products and 380 00:24:36,680 --> 00:24:40,680 Speaker 1: kitchen equipment to independent restaurants around the country. At the time, 381 00:24:40,880 --> 00:24:45,640 Speaker 1: his product was Prince Castle multi mixer milkshake machines, which 382 00:24:45,640 --> 00:24:49,840 Speaker 1: were being run out of business by a competitor. Oh no. Uh. 383 00:24:50,119 --> 00:24:51,560 Speaker 1: He had a good turn of luck though, when he 384 00:24:51,680 --> 00:24:55,119 Speaker 1: sold not just one, but eight machines to this hamburger 385 00:24:55,119 --> 00:24:59,280 Speaker 1: shop in San Bernardino. The owners needed the capacity to 386 00:24:59,280 --> 00:25:03,359 Speaker 1: make forty elkshakes all at one go, and he was curious, 387 00:25:04,160 --> 00:25:07,919 Speaker 1: so Ray Kroc packed a bag and went down to 388 00:25:08,080 --> 00:25:12,680 Speaker 1: check out McDonald's. He was so impressed by the business model. 389 00:25:12,800 --> 00:25:15,320 Speaker 1: He later said about his visit to this restaurant. When 390 00:25:15,359 --> 00:25:17,639 Speaker 1: I saw it working that day in ninety four, I 391 00:25:17,680 --> 00:25:19,959 Speaker 1: felt like some latter day Newton who had just had 392 00:25:20,000 --> 00:25:23,000 Speaker 1: an I had a hoo potato crombed off his skull. Wow. 393 00:25:24,880 --> 00:25:27,639 Speaker 1: You know, Krac had spent thirty years watching what works 394 00:25:27,680 --> 00:25:31,159 Speaker 1: and doesn't at low end dining establishments, and he, like 395 00:25:31,240 --> 00:25:34,400 Speaker 1: so many others, saw that the McDonald brothers really had 396 00:25:34,440 --> 00:25:38,240 Speaker 1: something here. So I went back to his hotel, thought 397 00:25:38,240 --> 00:25:40,399 Speaker 1: about it, came back the next day and made them 398 00:25:40,400 --> 00:25:45,000 Speaker 1: a franchising offer, which they refused. And here's the like 399 00:25:45,160 --> 00:25:48,600 Speaker 1: sliding doors alternate reality moment where you're like this close 400 00:25:48,680 --> 00:25:53,240 Speaker 1: to never having tasted a McDonald's fry. But Kroc did 401 00:25:53,240 --> 00:25:57,119 Speaker 1: not go home. Instead, he countered, and he cajoled, and 402 00:25:57,200 --> 00:25:59,959 Speaker 1: eventually he convinced the McDonald brothers that he could make 403 00:26:00,160 --> 00:26:03,000 Speaker 1: a franchise model work for them. He opened up the 404 00:26:03,040 --> 00:26:08,240 Speaker 1: first experimental offshoot in nineteen fifty and Plane, Illinois in 405 00:26:08,359 --> 00:26:11,960 Speaker 1: de Planes, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago neighboring the suburb 406 00:26:12,000 --> 00:26:15,040 Speaker 1: where Croc lived. And if you're wondering what it takes 407 00:26:15,080 --> 00:26:18,160 Speaker 1: to build a two stores into one of the biggest 408 00:26:18,200 --> 00:26:21,960 Speaker 1: international businesses on the planet, the answer is a good 409 00:26:21,960 --> 00:26:28,440 Speaker 1: idea and total obsession. Oh yeah. Kroc took the concepts 410 00:26:28,440 --> 00:26:31,679 Speaker 1: of precision and reproducibility started by the McDonald brothers and 411 00:26:31,800 --> 00:26:35,440 Speaker 1: expanded them both in terms of the food and the franchises. 412 00:26:36,040 --> 00:26:40,160 Speaker 1: He specified McDonald's hamburger as being one point six ounces, 413 00:26:40,160 --> 00:26:43,160 Speaker 1: with a diameter of three point eight seven five inches 414 00:26:43,920 --> 00:26:48,160 Speaker 1: and a fat content below nineteen. He built a laboratory 415 00:26:48,240 --> 00:26:52,680 Speaker 1: to devise the perfect batch of French fries. He created 416 00:26:52,720 --> 00:26:55,560 Speaker 1: a method to allow two stores at opposite ends of 417 00:26:55,560 --> 00:26:59,080 Speaker 1: the country to deliver an identical platter to customers, down 418 00:26:59,119 --> 00:27:01,720 Speaker 1: to the size of the sustard dollop on the burger bun. 419 00:27:02,920 --> 00:27:05,600 Speaker 1: When he sold franchises, and he would sell seventy nine 420 00:27:05,600 --> 00:27:08,199 Speaker 1: of them in the first three years, he wasn't selling 421 00:27:08,240 --> 00:27:10,440 Speaker 1: a name and some recipes. He was he was selling 422 00:27:10,480 --> 00:27:14,840 Speaker 1: an entire operating system. At that original location, he personally 423 00:27:14,920 --> 00:27:18,400 Speaker 1: scraped gum off of the parking lot pavement. He often said, 424 00:27:18,560 --> 00:27:20,720 Speaker 1: there's a bunch of things. He often said, uh, I 425 00:27:20,760 --> 00:27:23,520 Speaker 1: believe in God, family and McDonald's and in the office 426 00:27:23,600 --> 00:27:30,560 Speaker 1: that order is reversed. He is quite quotable's amazingly quotable. Uhum. 427 00:27:30,600 --> 00:27:33,639 Speaker 1: But he wasn't making money due to the terms of 428 00:27:33,680 --> 00:27:36,439 Speaker 1: this original deal that he had made with the McDonald's brothers. 429 00:27:36,960 --> 00:27:41,640 Speaker 1: Under financial advisement, Krack incorporated another engine into this business. 430 00:27:41,880 --> 00:27:45,679 Speaker 1: Under a subsidiary he named the Franchise Realty Corporation, he 431 00:27:45,800 --> 00:27:49,720 Speaker 1: began leasing up land for potential for potential store sites, 432 00:27:50,080 --> 00:27:52,800 Speaker 1: which could then be sub leased to franchise e s 433 00:27:53,160 --> 00:27:56,440 Speaker 1: at huge markups, both making him lots of cash and 434 00:27:56,720 --> 00:27:59,280 Speaker 1: giving him greater control over the stores in the long run, 435 00:27:59,320 --> 00:28:02,040 Speaker 1: because as land lord he could work in all kinds 436 00:28:02,040 --> 00:28:06,960 Speaker 1: of terms into these franchise agreements. This is still a 437 00:28:07,000 --> 00:28:09,520 Speaker 1: major source of the company's income. By the way, they've 438 00:28:09,560 --> 00:28:15,159 Speaker 1: got thirty billion dollars in real estate assets today. I 439 00:28:15,200 --> 00:28:21,800 Speaker 1: did like a full mouth gate expression at that. Uh. Meanwhile, 440 00:28:22,119 --> 00:28:26,040 Speaker 1: tension was growing between Croc and the McDonald brothers, who 441 00:28:26,480 --> 00:28:31,000 Speaker 1: we're not living up to Croc's ambitious vision. Uh. Croc 442 00:28:31,359 --> 00:28:34,320 Speaker 1: could have sold his shares and started a competing franchise, 443 00:28:34,840 --> 00:28:38,800 Speaker 1: but he wanted that name, that lucky name. So in 444 00:28:38,920 --> 00:28:42,760 Speaker 1: nineteen sixty one, he changed the names of his land 445 00:28:42,800 --> 00:28:48,400 Speaker 1: subsidiary to the McDonald's Corporation and then demanded that the 446 00:28:48,440 --> 00:28:53,960 Speaker 1: brothers sell out to him. Wow, and it worked. It worked. 447 00:28:54,560 --> 00:28:56,800 Speaker 1: He had to go two point seven million dollars into 448 00:28:56,800 --> 00:29:02,640 Speaker 1: debt in order to pay them out. But persistance and obsession, Yeah, 449 00:29:02,880 --> 00:29:05,479 Speaker 1: Croc said about this, But I guess there was no 450 00:29:05,560 --> 00:29:08,840 Speaker 1: way out. I needed the McDonald's name and those golden arches. 451 00:29:09,640 --> 00:29:11,880 Speaker 1: What are you going to do with a name like Kroc, 452 00:29:12,080 --> 00:29:16,800 Speaker 1: which just kind of ironic now shoes. The brothers also 453 00:29:16,840 --> 00:29:19,960 Speaker 1: demanded to keep the original location as part of the contract, 454 00:29:20,000 --> 00:29:24,239 Speaker 1: albeit under a different name, The Big M, Big M. 455 00:29:24,320 --> 00:29:27,240 Speaker 1: Croc was so bitter about this, he put up a 456 00:29:27,360 --> 00:29:29,440 Speaker 1: McDonald's around the block. He says, it was right across 457 00:29:29,440 --> 00:29:31,960 Speaker 1: the street. There's a lot of contention about this down 458 00:29:32,000 --> 00:29:35,960 Speaker 1: the street. Yeah, it's it's close. It was close. The 459 00:29:36,000 --> 00:29:38,360 Speaker 1: Big M close six years later. There's contentious about this, 460 00:29:38,720 --> 00:29:41,959 Speaker 1: contention about this as well. The brothers say they just retire. 461 00:29:42,120 --> 00:29:46,160 Speaker 1: He says he ran them out of business. Kroc called 462 00:29:46,200 --> 00:29:50,560 Speaker 1: the McDonald's and dis planes the first McDonald's and gave 463 00:29:50,640 --> 00:29:54,240 Speaker 1: himself the title of the founder of McDonald's. Yeah, there's 464 00:29:54,240 --> 00:29:58,360 Speaker 1: still plaques on the wall in McDonald's. Yeah. Every year 465 00:29:58,360 --> 00:30:01,680 Speaker 1: on Founder's Day, which I guess the thing McDonald celebrates, 466 00:30:02,000 --> 00:30:07,120 Speaker 1: McDonald's honors him. And it wasn't until they started honoring 467 00:30:07,160 --> 00:30:10,720 Speaker 1: the McDonald's brothers to mac died of heart failure in 468 00:30:10,800 --> 00:30:13,360 Speaker 1: ninety one, and they were people who knew him and 469 00:30:13,360 --> 00:30:14,920 Speaker 1: said it was in part due to the stress of 470 00:30:15,080 --> 00:30:19,240 Speaker 1: the whole thing. Dick died in and in his office 471 00:30:19,320 --> 00:30:22,200 Speaker 1: was an engraved golden spatula used to cook the fifty 472 00:30:22,200 --> 00:30:26,600 Speaker 1: billion McDonald's burger, a framed nineteen seventy three Time magazine 473 00:30:26,600 --> 00:30:32,000 Speaker 1: cover featuring the Hamburger Empire, and a commemorative McDonald's pin set, 474 00:30:32,120 --> 00:30:35,680 Speaker 1: among other McDonald's memorabilia. Yeah. That that was like the 475 00:30:35,680 --> 00:30:40,560 Speaker 1: saddest well anyway. Kroc lived in Beverly Hills and purchased 476 00:30:40,600 --> 00:30:44,840 Speaker 1: the San Diego baseball team, the padres Um. Kroc once said, 477 00:30:44,880 --> 00:30:47,440 Speaker 1: here's another great quote from him, if any of my 478 00:30:47,600 --> 00:30:51,240 Speaker 1: competitors were drowning, I'd stick a hose in their mouth 479 00:30:51,280 --> 00:30:55,240 Speaker 1: and turn on the water. He also once said of 480 00:30:55,280 --> 00:30:58,520 Speaker 1: the McDonald brothers, I closed the door to my office 481 00:30:58,520 --> 00:31:00,400 Speaker 1: and I paced up and down the floor, allowing them 482 00:31:00,400 --> 00:31:02,800 Speaker 1: every kind of son of a bitch there was. I 483 00:31:02,920 --> 00:31:05,080 Speaker 1: was so mad, I wanted to throw a vase through 484 00:31:05,120 --> 00:31:11,560 Speaker 1: the window. I hated their guts. This this is bananas, uh. 485 00:31:11,600 --> 00:31:14,680 Speaker 1: And it's also the subject of last year's film The Founder, 486 00:31:14,840 --> 00:31:19,120 Speaker 1: starring Michael Keaton as Croc, which is the inspiration for 487 00:31:19,120 --> 00:31:21,360 Speaker 1: this episode. Actually, any got to check it out on 488 00:31:21,360 --> 00:31:25,720 Speaker 1: an airplane, and so welcome to a McDonald's episode. The film, 489 00:31:25,800 --> 00:31:31,440 Speaker 1: which is based on both crocs autobiography and an unofficial biography, 490 00:31:31,880 --> 00:31:34,800 Speaker 1: posits that Croc included in this deal with the McDonald's 491 00:31:34,840 --> 00:31:39,760 Speaker 1: brothers a one percent annual royalty clause as a handshake deal, 492 00:31:40,800 --> 00:31:44,320 Speaker 1: which was never put in writing and never honored. Yeah, 493 00:31:45,960 --> 00:31:48,120 Speaker 1: just so you know, that would have been three and 494 00:31:48,240 --> 00:31:55,560 Speaker 1: five million dollars a year. Oh m hm. Anyway, anyway, 495 00:31:55,960 --> 00:32:00,160 Speaker 1: moving on from from their Kroc and one of his 496 00:32:00,240 --> 00:32:03,920 Speaker 1: original Burger flippers, one Fred Turner opened up the first 497 00:32:04,000 --> 00:32:09,120 Speaker 1: iteration of Hamburger University, teaching their gospel quality, service, cleanliness, 498 00:32:09,160 --> 00:32:12,920 Speaker 1: and value, and also the three legged stool business model, 499 00:32:13,000 --> 00:32:17,760 Speaker 1: which places equal responsibility on the company's suppliers, the franchise 500 00:32:17,800 --> 00:32:22,400 Speaker 1: owners and operators, and their employees But as much as 501 00:32:22,480 --> 00:32:26,480 Speaker 1: Krak demanded exaction, he also encouraged creativity and invention in 502 00:32:26,520 --> 00:32:29,840 Speaker 1: his franchisees, as long as they passed their successes back 503 00:32:29,880 --> 00:32:33,720 Speaker 1: up the chain, of course, and the success of McDonald's 504 00:32:33,720 --> 00:32:37,479 Speaker 1: was copied quickly. Burger King and KFC opened in nineteen two, 505 00:32:37,560 --> 00:32:40,320 Speaker 1: CARLS Jr. In nineteen fifty six, and Taco Bell in 506 00:32:40,400 --> 00:32:43,760 Speaker 1: nineteen sixty two. In the sixties, seating was added to 507 00:32:43,800 --> 00:32:47,200 Speaker 1: McDonald's restaurants, and then a drive through window after Wendy's 508 00:32:47,320 --> 00:32:52,520 Speaker 1: successfully incorporated one in nineteen sixty nine. The original Ronald McDonald, 509 00:32:52,720 --> 00:32:56,920 Speaker 1: then known as the Hamburger Happy Grown, debuted in nineteen 510 00:32:57,000 --> 00:33:00,720 Speaker 1: sixty three. Uh. The idea for him came from a 511 00:33:00,760 --> 00:33:04,600 Speaker 1: sponsorship that to Washington, d C. Franchise is entered into 512 00:33:04,720 --> 00:33:09,280 Speaker 1: with the locally produced television show Bozo's Circus. When the 513 00:33:09,320 --> 00:33:12,560 Speaker 1: station canceled the show, the local store owners hired on 514 00:33:12,640 --> 00:33:15,440 Speaker 1: the show's star one, Willard Scott, to create a new 515 00:33:15,480 --> 00:33:20,160 Speaker 1: clown character just for them Huh. But he was let 516 00:33:20,160 --> 00:33:23,160 Speaker 1: go and replaced in nineteen sixty six due to being 517 00:33:23,280 --> 00:33:26,280 Speaker 1: too stocky and thus difficult to find similar body types 518 00:33:26,360 --> 00:33:28,920 Speaker 1: for birthday parties and other appearances. I have to say 519 00:33:28,960 --> 00:33:33,000 Speaker 1: I watched the commercially appeared in and I was like, Okay, 520 00:33:33,200 --> 00:33:37,440 Speaker 1: that's not Ronald. I did have one of those parties, 521 00:33:37,480 --> 00:33:39,920 Speaker 1: you know, they had the caboose when I was four. 522 00:33:39,960 --> 00:33:42,280 Speaker 1: That was maybe that was one of the reasons, because 523 00:33:42,280 --> 00:33:44,480 Speaker 1: the clown was laughing in my face and didn't like clowns. 524 00:33:45,360 --> 00:33:47,920 Speaker 1: Another incident with the clown where I pushed to this 525 00:33:47,960 --> 00:33:50,600 Speaker 1: guy just as the joker to pool. Anyway, back to 526 00:33:50,680 --> 00:33:56,840 Speaker 1: McDonald's episode, Okay by. McDonald's had seven ten locations and 527 00:33:56,960 --> 00:34:00,280 Speaker 1: the company went public ten years to the day after 528 00:34:00,360 --> 00:34:05,200 Speaker 1: Croc's original franchise had opened. It was a huge financial success, 529 00:34:05,480 --> 00:34:09,320 Speaker 1: but as Krack often said, a laurel rested upon quickly 530 00:34:09,360 --> 00:34:13,680 Speaker 1: wilts this guy to promote the brand. In nineteen seven, 531 00:34:13,800 --> 00:34:16,880 Speaker 1: he spent about one percent of the company's sales some 532 00:34:16,920 --> 00:34:21,400 Speaker 1: two point three million dollars on nationwide advertising, which was 533 00:34:21,800 --> 00:34:26,160 Speaker 1: totally unheard of for a brand to do at the time. Um, 534 00:34:26,200 --> 00:34:28,560 Speaker 1: and that's where we got the rest of the McDonald 535 00:34:28,640 --> 00:34:33,759 Speaker 1: land denizens, Mayor mccheese and the Hamburglar grinnas, all those 536 00:34:33,800 --> 00:34:37,160 Speaker 1: great people. We had an interesting conversation about this before 537 00:34:37,200 --> 00:34:41,200 Speaker 1: recording about what grimaces. We have many questions. Yeah, Yeah, 538 00:34:41,320 --> 00:34:46,719 Speaker 1: Producer Dylan specifically has you know, conspiracy, Yeah, like like, 539 00:34:46,760 --> 00:34:50,000 Speaker 1: what's what's the political structure in McDonald land? Do you know, 540 00:34:50,719 --> 00:34:54,520 Speaker 1: does anyone m right in? Right in? If you do? 541 00:34:56,440 --> 00:35:00,640 Speaker 1: Advertising would become such a huge part of McDonald's nous 542 00:35:00,640 --> 00:35:03,160 Speaker 1: that another croc is um was We're not in the 543 00:35:03,200 --> 00:35:06,440 Speaker 1: hamburger business. We're in show business. And I like how 544 00:35:06,440 --> 00:35:09,080 Speaker 1: I'm just slowly creeping into the trans and Latin gags. 545 00:35:11,160 --> 00:35:16,840 Speaker 1: It seems to fit for this the personality we're getting. Yeah, definitely. 546 00:35:18,160 --> 00:35:21,200 Speaker 1: Nine sixty seven is also the year that one franchise 547 00:35:21,200 --> 00:35:27,120 Speaker 1: in Pittsburgh tested a new sandwich, the Aristocrat, which was 548 00:35:27,160 --> 00:35:32,520 Speaker 1: eventually renamed the Big Mac. Yeah. Other franchises would contribute 549 00:35:32,600 --> 00:35:35,480 Speaker 1: enduring menu items, from the egg McMuffin to the fileto 550 00:35:35,600 --> 00:35:38,920 Speaker 1: fish over the next couple of years. By nineteen seventy one, 551 00:35:38,920 --> 00:35:42,240 Speaker 1: there were over two thousand locations throughout the United States 552 00:35:42,600 --> 00:35:47,000 Speaker 1: and stores opening in Japan and Germany. Access Power is 553 00:35:47,040 --> 00:35:51,120 Speaker 1: not sure why. Then they expanded throughout Europe, Asia, and 554 00:35:51,239 --> 00:35:54,040 Speaker 1: South America a thousand stores overseas. By the end of 555 00:35:54,040 --> 00:35:57,879 Speaker 1: the decade, the company was growing twenty seven percent year 556 00:35:57,920 --> 00:36:00,279 Speaker 1: over year. And this is when it became aim this 557 00:36:00,400 --> 00:36:05,960 Speaker 1: this international symbol of American capitalism and cultural imperialism UM. 558 00:36:05,960 --> 00:36:09,440 Speaker 1: In San Salvador in nineteen seventy nine, these guerilla Marxists 559 00:36:09,440 --> 00:36:13,520 Speaker 1: blew up one location, calling it an act against imperialist America. 560 00:36:14,160 --> 00:36:18,000 Speaker 1: M and that is some kind of success for a 561 00:36:18,040 --> 00:36:22,080 Speaker 1: Burger joint. Yeah. Kroc had given over the office of 562 00:36:22,200 --> 00:36:25,760 Speaker 1: chief executive by then to his right hand man, Fred Turner. 563 00:36:26,320 --> 00:36:29,080 Speaker 1: Though legend has it that Krac would do surprise inspections 564 00:36:29,080 --> 00:36:33,480 Speaker 1: at locations wherever he traveled until his death in I 565 00:36:33,520 --> 00:36:36,480 Speaker 1: completely believe it. I have no doubt in my mind 566 00:36:37,080 --> 00:36:41,520 Speaker 1: he's the type of guy that would do that. His UM, 567 00:36:41,520 --> 00:36:44,480 Speaker 1: his family fortune went to his third wife, Joan, who 568 00:36:44,560 --> 00:36:48,960 Speaker 1: would donate vast amounts of it um to various various 569 00:36:49,040 --> 00:36:52,799 Speaker 1: charitable causes a two thirty five million to NPR two 570 00:36:52,840 --> 00:36:57,360 Speaker 1: billion dollars to the Salvation Army UM and related. The 571 00:36:57,800 --> 00:37:02,000 Speaker 1: Ronald McDonald's House Charities got it start in seven. They 572 00:37:02,040 --> 00:37:04,760 Speaker 1: had begun as a single facility in nineteen seventy four 573 00:37:04,760 --> 00:37:06,959 Speaker 1: residents for families to stay in so that they could 574 00:37:07,000 --> 00:37:10,280 Speaker 1: be near their kids during those kids lengthy hospital stays 575 00:37:10,280 --> 00:37:16,320 Speaker 1: for conditions like leukemia. Under Turner, though, the company shifted 576 00:37:16,400 --> 00:37:20,680 Speaker 1: to further reinforce its family friendly reputation. They increased that 577 00:37:20,719 --> 00:37:24,120 Speaker 1: indoor seating and debuted the Happy Meal with a Toy, 578 00:37:24,520 --> 00:37:30,160 Speaker 1: the industry's first kids meal, complete with sponsorship, tie and opportunities. Uh. 579 00:37:30,239 --> 00:37:32,880 Speaker 1: They'd later land a plumb deal with Disney to market 580 00:37:33,000 --> 00:37:37,800 Speaker 1: upcoming and classic kids films, and that relationship continues lucratively 581 00:37:37,920 --> 00:37:43,840 Speaker 1: to this day. Yeah, oh yeah, they were always terrible toys. 582 00:37:43,840 --> 00:37:45,320 Speaker 1: Are some of them? Are? I still have a little 583 00:37:45,440 --> 00:37:50,560 Speaker 1: transforming burger that I'm really happy that. I don't know anyway. Um. 584 00:37:50,800 --> 00:37:54,960 Speaker 1: The Chicken McNugget debuted in three based on Turner's idea 585 00:37:55,239 --> 00:37:58,320 Speaker 1: that to make fried chicken work, which they had been 586 00:37:58,360 --> 00:38:01,120 Speaker 1: trying and hadn't happened up in until then, they needed 587 00:38:01,160 --> 00:38:04,360 Speaker 1: something more snacky like French fries than some kind of 588 00:38:04,400 --> 00:38:08,400 Speaker 1: direct competitor of rival fast food franchise Kentucky Fried Chicken. 589 00:38:10,440 --> 00:38:13,319 Speaker 1: The first McDonald's that opened in Soviet Russia in nine 590 00:38:14,360 --> 00:38:17,600 Speaker 1: is credited by some historians as having eased the fall 591 00:38:17,840 --> 00:38:22,880 Speaker 1: of the Soviet Union, presenting what was then a luxuriously expensive, 592 00:38:22,920 --> 00:38:27,840 Speaker 1: yet attainable bit of American proletariat comfort. You know what, 593 00:38:27,840 --> 00:38:31,880 Speaker 1: I'm sad about all the government collapsing, But these French fries. 594 00:38:32,000 --> 00:38:33,799 Speaker 1: But these you know, but this is but this, I 595 00:38:33,800 --> 00:38:37,120 Speaker 1: think things are gonna be okay because Ken French fries, 596 00:38:37,320 --> 00:38:41,719 Speaker 1: Chicken French fries. Also in the nineteen nineties, McDonald started 597 00:38:41,719 --> 00:38:45,600 Speaker 1: acquiring and and or seriously investing in a number of 598 00:38:45,640 --> 00:38:49,200 Speaker 1: those fast casual restaurant concepts like Chipotle and Boston Market. 599 00:38:49,480 --> 00:38:52,400 Speaker 1: They would later divest their interest in those things. In 600 00:38:52,440 --> 00:38:55,759 Speaker 1: the two thousands. Into those and nine they opened a 601 00:38:55,840 --> 00:38:59,879 Speaker 1: Mickey D's location in the Louver, a different type of culture. Yeah. Yes. 602 00:39:00,719 --> 00:39:03,200 Speaker 1: They also brought in a line of coffee and espresso 603 00:39:03,280 --> 00:39:08,839 Speaker 1: drinks McCafe, to rival the posh coffeehouse industry, stealth McDonald's 604 00:39:08,840 --> 00:39:14,080 Speaker 1: stealth McDonald's. Uh. Some some economists use the Big Mac 605 00:39:14,400 --> 00:39:18,479 Speaker 1: as a measure of a country's financial strength. It's called 606 00:39:18,520 --> 00:39:22,799 Speaker 1: the Big Mac index, and it compares the prices of 607 00:39:22,800 --> 00:39:25,280 Speaker 1: of the sandwich the Big max in which in different countries, 608 00:39:25,480 --> 00:39:28,920 Speaker 1: and then uses that to gauge currencies relative purchasing power. 609 00:39:29,640 --> 00:39:35,000 Speaker 1: That's really interesting. But along with all of this bizarre 610 00:39:35,360 --> 00:39:41,239 Speaker 1: success came rising controversy about the brands practices. After all, 611 00:39:41,320 --> 00:39:44,920 Speaker 1: you know, if you're serving billions of burgers per day, 612 00:39:44,960 --> 00:39:47,759 Speaker 1: that's a whole lot of supply and a whole lot 613 00:39:47,800 --> 00:39:52,640 Speaker 1: of labor. As one of McDonald's burger plants in California 614 00:39:52,760 --> 00:39:56,520 Speaker 1: processed four hundred thousand pounds of meat per day to 615 00:39:56,600 --> 00:40:00,360 Speaker 1: be frozen and distributed to stores. As of twenty leven, 616 00:40:00,719 --> 00:40:03,560 Speaker 1: the company was buying more than three point four billion 617 00:40:03,719 --> 00:40:09,120 Speaker 1: pounds of American potatoes every year. With digital and internet 618 00:40:09,160 --> 00:40:12,120 Speaker 1: connected kitchen technologies, they've been able to start turning their 619 00:40:12,120 --> 00:40:15,719 Speaker 1: restaurants into a big data stream about how their employees 620 00:40:15,760 --> 00:40:19,520 Speaker 1: and how their customers work. Make make no mistake, y'all 621 00:40:19,600 --> 00:40:22,680 Speaker 1: like this. This is a company with an absolutely insane 622 00:40:22,960 --> 00:40:26,680 Speaker 1: amount of influence and power, and that has made the 623 00:40:26,840 --> 00:40:31,279 Speaker 1: target for all kinds of criticism and lawsuits. You've got 624 00:40:31,280 --> 00:40:35,000 Speaker 1: that derisive term, the Mick job. There was a huge 625 00:40:35,080 --> 00:40:38,440 Speaker 1: lawsuit with a couple of folks affiliated with Green Peace 626 00:40:38,520 --> 00:40:42,160 Speaker 1: referred to as Mick libel. I just put Mick in 627 00:40:42,200 --> 00:40:45,279 Speaker 1: front of everything they do. There's a film Supersize Me 628 00:40:45,360 --> 00:40:48,279 Speaker 1: in two thousand four, that documentary where a guy ate 629 00:40:48,360 --> 00:40:50,719 Speaker 1: nothing but McDonald's for a month to make a point 630 00:40:50,760 --> 00:40:54,120 Speaker 1: about the lack of nutritional value in this incredibly popular 631 00:40:54,120 --> 00:40:58,760 Speaker 1: and widespread food. Uh. Although in they would begin posting 632 00:40:58,840 --> 00:41:03,160 Speaker 1: nutrition information on line and in stores ahead of national requirements. 633 00:41:04,160 --> 00:41:06,840 Speaker 1: That's something. Uh. Then there was a book Fast Food 634 00:41:06,920 --> 00:41:09,799 Speaker 1: Nation in two thousand one and a documentary Food Inc. 635 00:41:09,840 --> 00:41:14,000 Speaker 1: In two eight, both about the greed and the evils 636 00:41:14,080 --> 00:41:18,680 Speaker 1: of industrial farming practices used by McDonald's and other similar companies. 637 00:41:19,960 --> 00:41:24,279 Speaker 1: Industrial farming is a whole other thing that we're going 638 00:41:24,320 --> 00:41:28,840 Speaker 1: to need to do a depressing episode about. Uh. For example, 639 00:41:29,120 --> 00:41:32,040 Speaker 1: until two thousand seven, the farm workers who picked McDonald's 640 00:41:32,040 --> 00:41:35,800 Speaker 1: tomatoes in Florida, we're earning about forty cents per thirty 641 00:41:35,800 --> 00:41:42,120 Speaker 1: two pound bucket picked. Uh. When McDonald's and other companies 642 00:41:42,200 --> 00:41:49,080 Speaker 1: started paying an extra penny per pound, it doubled their wages. Oh, 643 00:41:49,719 --> 00:41:52,200 Speaker 1: still only seventy two cents or something like that per 644 00:41:52,320 --> 00:42:02,400 Speaker 1: thirty two pound bucket. But an improvement man, that's my 645 00:42:02,400 --> 00:42:04,040 Speaker 1: My dad used to get mad when he would get 646 00:42:04,040 --> 00:42:09,120 Speaker 1: a bank statement and the interest would be one penny. Yeah, 647 00:42:10,080 --> 00:42:15,520 Speaker 1: that's ridiculous. Um. And uh, you know it's it seems 648 00:42:15,520 --> 00:42:18,719 Speaker 1: like it seems like McDonald's is one of the companies 649 00:42:18,760 --> 00:42:24,040 Speaker 1: that is trying to either make things better or to 650 00:42:24,239 --> 00:42:27,040 Speaker 1: make it look like they're making things better. It's hard. 651 00:42:27,040 --> 00:42:29,960 Speaker 1: It's hard to really break it down. Um. In they 652 00:42:30,000 --> 00:42:32,840 Speaker 1: said that they had help end restrictive caging of pigs 653 00:42:32,960 --> 00:42:36,160 Speaker 1: on the farms that they support, and in they pledged 654 00:42:36,239 --> 00:42:43,480 Speaker 1: to switch to cage free eggs entirely over the next decade. Okay, ah, 655 00:42:43,520 --> 00:42:46,759 Speaker 1: and yeah, that more or less brings us into this 656 00:42:46,880 --> 00:42:49,920 Speaker 1: our modern era of McDonald's. As discussed at the top 657 00:42:49,960 --> 00:42:53,040 Speaker 1: of the show, they're trying all sorts of things still 658 00:42:53,120 --> 00:42:56,279 Speaker 1: to streamline efficiency even more and improve sales get them 659 00:42:56,280 --> 00:42:59,040 Speaker 1: out of their slump. Uh. There's there's a new mobile 660 00:42:59,120 --> 00:43:03,799 Speaker 1: ordering platform supposedly in the works, breakfast all day, Uh, 661 00:43:03,920 --> 00:43:07,640 Speaker 1: digital self service kiosks and tableside tablets to place orders 662 00:43:07,680 --> 00:43:11,920 Speaker 1: for those fries that you forgot non frozen beef for 663 00:43:12,000 --> 00:43:16,839 Speaker 1: your quarter pounders. I got a message about that, and 664 00:43:16,880 --> 00:43:20,719 Speaker 1: I thought, I was like, wait, what, I haven't been 665 00:43:20,760 --> 00:43:23,400 Speaker 1: to McDonald's in so long. I didn't. I didn't realize 666 00:43:23,400 --> 00:43:25,600 Speaker 1: I should have known. It's all Yeah, it's all frozen patties. 667 00:43:25,640 --> 00:43:27,759 Speaker 1: They produced them in these plants and they freeze them. 668 00:43:27,760 --> 00:43:29,560 Speaker 1: They flash freeze them and they send them to all 669 00:43:29,600 --> 00:43:32,960 Speaker 1: of their stores. But that, yeah, they're experimenting with fresh beef. Goodness, 670 00:43:34,560 --> 00:43:36,640 Speaker 1: what won't what won't I think of next? All the 671 00:43:36,760 --> 00:43:39,440 Speaker 1: Arches Burger. Isn't it something like that? Oh I'm not. 672 00:43:39,600 --> 00:43:43,640 Speaker 1: I didn't. I honestly didn't read the entire press release. Um, 673 00:43:43,800 --> 00:43:45,680 Speaker 1: I remember when people were so upset up about that 674 00:43:46,080 --> 00:43:50,319 Speaker 1: breakfast thing. I can't get your mcgriddle. Yeah, yeah, after 675 00:43:50,360 --> 00:43:53,439 Speaker 1: after eleven o'clock in the morning, it totally switches over. 676 00:43:54,160 --> 00:43:56,120 Speaker 1: And and if you want, if it's eleven oh one 677 00:43:56,160 --> 00:44:00,239 Speaker 1: and you wanted to griddle, nothing for it. Hey, speed 678 00:44:00,280 --> 00:44:05,879 Speaker 1: speeds bean McDonald's. You want your food quickly. But yeah, 679 00:44:05,880 --> 00:44:07,880 Speaker 1: I know, twenty four hours a day, no, you know, 680 00:44:08,040 --> 00:44:13,439 Speaker 1: for as long as Yeah, speaking of our modern day McDonald's, 681 00:44:14,120 --> 00:44:18,880 Speaker 1: what about robots, let's talk about robots. Robot Yeah, well, okay, 682 00:44:18,920 --> 00:44:20,360 Speaker 1: so so we've we've talked a little bit about some 683 00:44:20,360 --> 00:44:23,600 Speaker 1: of the science issues wrapped up. That's going to be 684 00:44:23,640 --> 00:44:27,279 Speaker 1: a pun in a second around McDonald's. In other episodes, um, 685 00:44:27,320 --> 00:44:31,799 Speaker 1: the possibility of robotic automation replacing human workers and restaurants, 686 00:44:32,239 --> 00:44:35,040 Speaker 1: Um that that little bit. More about that in the 687 00:44:35,080 --> 00:44:37,520 Speaker 1: Tipping episode, that we really have to do a whole 688 00:44:37,840 --> 00:44:42,799 Speaker 1: robot I cannot wait automation some a listeners since uh 689 00:44:43,360 --> 00:44:46,319 Speaker 1: message about this. They're using robots. They're like testing it 690 00:44:46,360 --> 00:44:50,120 Speaker 1: out at some location somewhere. Um, so yes, I'm very stray. Yeah. 691 00:44:50,440 --> 00:44:53,920 Speaker 1: Robotic robotic fry baskets, robotic burger flippers, like like literal 692 00:44:54,000 --> 00:45:00,640 Speaker 1: like spatula things. Yeah, crazy stuff. Um and oh also, um, 693 00:45:00,680 --> 00:45:04,920 Speaker 1: the harmful compounds that have been used in McDonald's burger 694 00:45:04,960 --> 00:45:11,319 Speaker 1: wrappings right here the pum comes to fruition. Yeah, that 695 00:45:11,400 --> 00:45:13,319 Speaker 1: one's that one's I talk all about it in our 696 00:45:13,360 --> 00:45:17,319 Speaker 1: popcorn episode. Yeah. The the end of the statement is 697 00:45:17,880 --> 00:45:24,000 Speaker 1: don't I mean it's not great. No, people should really 698 00:45:24,000 --> 00:45:27,439 Speaker 1: stop using those those chemicals. Maybe, I mean I don't 699 00:45:27,600 --> 00:45:32,840 Speaker 1: definitely don't burn the McDonald's burger rapper and then breathe 700 00:45:32,840 --> 00:45:37,000 Speaker 1: in the fumes. Okay, that's that is a tip you 701 00:45:37,040 --> 00:45:42,880 Speaker 1: can walk away, Yes, episode, that is something actionable you 702 00:45:42,960 --> 00:45:45,000 Speaker 1: can tell you. But that's also part of why they've 703 00:45:45,000 --> 00:45:48,840 Speaker 1: they've switched over from those those uh soft paper wrappers 704 00:45:48,880 --> 00:45:53,440 Speaker 1: to the kind of more structured cardboard um tubs for 705 00:45:53,480 --> 00:45:56,880 Speaker 1: their for their sandwiches, which you have no idea what 706 00:45:56,960 --> 00:45:58,960 Speaker 1: I'm talking about. But they've but they've made that switch. 707 00:45:59,440 --> 00:46:03,319 Speaker 1: They're a little board boxes. Now. I feel like I 708 00:46:03,400 --> 00:46:05,520 Speaker 1: just want to go into McDonald's and look around and 709 00:46:05,680 --> 00:46:09,960 Speaker 1: weird people out. We we have we we I can 710 00:46:10,000 --> 00:46:12,879 Speaker 1: see one from my desk, can you really? Yeah, there's 711 00:46:12,920 --> 00:46:15,040 Speaker 1: there's one, like right down the street. I feel like 712 00:46:15,080 --> 00:46:18,160 Speaker 1: I just don't even see them anymore. It's not an 713 00:46:18,160 --> 00:46:24,080 Speaker 1: option we'll never go. Um. So health health, we probably 714 00:46:24,120 --> 00:46:26,920 Speaker 1: don't want to tell you. Eating at McDonald's is not 715 00:46:27,320 --> 00:46:32,680 Speaker 1: a health choice. No. Even if you get like, well, yeah, 716 00:46:32,760 --> 00:46:36,719 Speaker 1: the salads don't fall for it, it's generally well, I 717 00:46:36,719 --> 00:46:39,279 Speaker 1: mean the salad alone is fine, but but read the 718 00:46:39,360 --> 00:46:42,560 Speaker 1: nutritional information about the dressing, because if you use the 719 00:46:42,560 --> 00:46:45,760 Speaker 1: whole packet of dressing, it's basically a higher fat content 720 00:46:45,800 --> 00:46:49,880 Speaker 1: than you would get from ordering like the chicken nuggets. Right. Um, 721 00:46:49,920 --> 00:46:52,200 Speaker 1: but I would like to say fast food has been 722 00:46:52,560 --> 00:46:56,680 Speaker 1: really demonized and definitely it's not something you should be 723 00:46:56,680 --> 00:47:01,320 Speaker 1: eating often. But um, I mean there's a high salt, 724 00:47:01,920 --> 00:47:04,640 Speaker 1: hi fat. If you're someone who needs to be monitoring 725 00:47:04,680 --> 00:47:10,560 Speaker 1: that high sugar, high calorie. However, make sure that when 726 00:47:10,600 --> 00:47:14,040 Speaker 1: you're reaching for your healthier choice, it isn't something worse 727 00:47:14,239 --> 00:47:17,360 Speaker 1: because a lot of things that are marketed as healthier 728 00:47:17,400 --> 00:47:20,960 Speaker 1: things like perhaps your salad with your dressing, Um, they're 729 00:47:21,000 --> 00:47:24,680 Speaker 1: on par with fast food or they could be even worse. Um. 730 00:47:24,680 --> 00:47:30,600 Speaker 1: Just I read an article about um like some tofu 731 00:47:30,719 --> 00:47:35,200 Speaker 1: dish shit Whole Foods, which you know, you're like, oh, brilliant. 732 00:47:35,320 --> 00:47:38,719 Speaker 1: It was the same as mac So I mean, just 733 00:47:39,280 --> 00:47:42,640 Speaker 1: be aware. It's definitely not a healthy choice. But if 734 00:47:42,640 --> 00:47:45,920 Speaker 1: that's but if that's what's there, and you know, in moderation, 735 00:47:46,520 --> 00:47:51,040 Speaker 1: I mean it's it's like a treat. Yeah, just educate yourself, 736 00:47:51,040 --> 00:47:54,200 Speaker 1: as we always say, absolutely, yeah, but what about Okay, 737 00:47:54,280 --> 00:47:56,160 Speaker 1: so this is my This is one of my favorite 738 00:47:56,200 --> 00:47:59,680 Speaker 1: weird pop culture things. When whenever you think about McDonald's, 739 00:47:59,680 --> 00:48:04,880 Speaker 1: this comes up. The burgers don't rot what they someone 740 00:48:05,000 --> 00:48:07,400 Speaker 1: someone put one out for like years and it looks 741 00:48:07,440 --> 00:48:09,120 Speaker 1: the same and that and what is it is? It 742 00:48:09,280 --> 00:48:16,040 Speaker 1: isn't doing that in my body's just burger burgers. Just yeah, 743 00:48:16,200 --> 00:48:19,319 Speaker 1: just sitting there. Okay, I've never heard of this, but 744 00:48:19,360 --> 00:48:20,799 Speaker 1: it was one of the first things that came up 745 00:48:20,800 --> 00:48:25,880 Speaker 1: when I was searching McDonald's. So if people are like me, 746 00:48:25,920 --> 00:48:28,880 Speaker 1: I haven't heard of it. A wellness speaker and consultant 747 00:48:29,160 --> 00:48:32,320 Speaker 1: brought at McDonald's burger. She bought one. It never rotted 748 00:48:32,760 --> 00:48:35,640 Speaker 1: to this day, or at least until recently. She used 749 00:48:35,640 --> 00:48:38,919 Speaker 1: it as prop during her wellness talks. She'd pull out 750 00:48:38,920 --> 00:48:42,839 Speaker 1: this like hole burger that she bought and it had 751 00:48:42,880 --> 00:48:45,600 Speaker 1: only a little patch of mold on it. Uh and 752 00:48:45,640 --> 00:48:49,320 Speaker 1: others have copied it. BuzzFeed posted a video demonstrating the 753 00:48:49,360 --> 00:48:53,080 Speaker 1: same thing, although they only gave it thirty days and 754 00:48:53,280 --> 00:48:57,680 Speaker 1: only not a not a decade, Right they come on. 755 00:48:58,239 --> 00:49:00,799 Speaker 1: They tested a bunch of fast food eggers, so not 756 00:49:00,880 --> 00:49:04,920 Speaker 1: just McDonald's, and they also showed basically the same results. 757 00:49:05,400 --> 00:49:09,520 Speaker 1: But don't be yes. The managing blog director at Series 758 00:49:09,560 --> 00:49:13,359 Speaker 1: Eats put his restaurant training to the test, the ultimate test, 759 00:49:13,400 --> 00:49:15,200 Speaker 1: the test of his lifetime. I'm sure to get to 760 00:49:15,200 --> 00:49:18,239 Speaker 1: the bottom of this. He had in his mind there 761 00:49:18,239 --> 00:49:23,600 Speaker 1: were five possible culprits. Preservatives, high salt content, although moisture content, 762 00:49:24,040 --> 00:49:26,920 Speaker 1: no air during preparation, are no contact with mold spores. 763 00:49:26,960 --> 00:49:28,880 Speaker 1: Those last two are pretty much impossible, so they were 764 00:49:28,960 --> 00:49:33,360 Speaker 1: quickly discarded. He made nine different burger combinations, some homemade, 765 00:49:33,440 --> 00:49:36,600 Speaker 1: some from McDonald's, and then the like mix and match 766 00:49:36,680 --> 00:49:39,799 Speaker 1: of store bought stuff and McDonald's patty and just a 767 00:49:39,800 --> 00:49:43,720 Speaker 1: bunch of different options, some with salt, some not, different 768 00:49:43,719 --> 00:49:47,319 Speaker 1: types of packaging. He never came into contact with any 769 00:49:47,360 --> 00:49:49,560 Speaker 1: of the burgers, and he left them out in open 770 00:49:49,600 --> 00:49:53,200 Speaker 1: air for three weeks. None of them rotted. Oh yeah, 771 00:49:53,239 --> 00:49:57,239 Speaker 1: he concluded the moisture was the key. In the first week, 772 00:49:57,360 --> 00:50:02,600 Speaker 1: the patties lost about of their weight moisture. Um, they 773 00:50:02,680 --> 00:50:05,919 Speaker 1: dried it out basically, and without moisture, there's no mold. 774 00:50:06,600 --> 00:50:09,440 Speaker 1: The patties that McDonald's are really thin, so they have 775 00:50:09,480 --> 00:50:12,320 Speaker 1: a lot of surface area and they dry out quickly. 776 00:50:12,920 --> 00:50:15,239 Speaker 1: And that's kind of like what is going on with 777 00:50:17,080 --> 00:50:21,320 Speaker 1: so so it's like a really slow processed beef turkey. Yeah, okay, 778 00:50:22,000 --> 00:50:27,280 Speaker 1: so interesting, interesting experiment. Perhaps try I feel I feel 779 00:50:27,280 --> 00:50:34,719 Speaker 1: better about that. Yeah, that's um, that's our McDonald's episode. Yeah, 780 00:50:34,840 --> 00:50:40,279 Speaker 1: it's I can't help but be impressed, even if I 781 00:50:40,360 --> 00:50:45,200 Speaker 1: have problems with some practices, but they built this thing. 782 00:50:45,440 --> 00:50:50,520 Speaker 1: It's huge. Yeah, it's impressed. Impressed is the correct word. 783 00:50:50,840 --> 00:50:54,000 Speaker 1: I am very impressed. And I still and I and 784 00:50:54,080 --> 00:50:56,120 Speaker 1: I was I was looking you guys, but it is 785 00:50:56,440 --> 00:51:00,600 Speaker 1: really hard to find like they keep their technological secrets 786 00:51:01,360 --> 00:51:03,640 Speaker 1: really under reps, like they really don't want you to 787 00:51:03,680 --> 00:51:07,279 Speaker 1: know what's going on in the plants and and uh 788 00:51:07,640 --> 00:51:10,200 Speaker 1: and how they make everything the way that they make it, 789 00:51:11,120 --> 00:51:14,720 Speaker 1: which is great. As part of one of their marketing stints, 790 00:51:14,800 --> 00:51:17,640 Speaker 1: they got Grant Amahara, who had been on Youthbusters, to 791 00:51:17,760 --> 00:51:20,239 Speaker 1: come and take a tour of one of their plants 792 00:51:20,280 --> 00:51:23,520 Speaker 1: and uh. And that was supposedly the first time that 793 00:51:23,719 --> 00:51:27,160 Speaker 1: cameras had ever been allowed in there. That I want 794 00:51:27,160 --> 00:51:28,840 Speaker 1: to say, if you want to go check out that video, 795 00:51:30,160 --> 00:51:33,520 Speaker 1: it's kind of terrifying. It is. I had never thought 796 00:51:34,040 --> 00:51:37,240 Speaker 1: I I never thought about being terrified by McDonald's before, 797 00:51:37,280 --> 00:51:40,200 Speaker 1: but when I realized the exact scope of the of 798 00:51:40,239 --> 00:51:43,920 Speaker 1: control that they have over the farming industry, I was like, oh, 799 00:51:44,160 --> 00:51:50,000 Speaker 1: so many industries they touched. Yeah. Um, but just just 800 00:51:50,080 --> 00:51:53,960 Speaker 1: one little extra fact to in this on. I'm fairly 801 00:51:54,040 --> 00:51:56,840 Speaker 1: certain they are not the first fast food restaurant. It 802 00:51:56,880 --> 00:52:00,600 Speaker 1: was White Castle. Oh there you go. Yeah, they were 803 00:52:00,680 --> 00:52:04,560 Speaker 1: kind of the first. The Speedy system was really original, 804 00:52:04,719 --> 00:52:07,440 Speaker 1: but white Castle came among first. We'll have to do 805 00:52:07,520 --> 00:52:12,200 Speaker 1: another thing on that one. Absolutely, but this brings us 806 00:52:12,239 --> 00:52:19,839 Speaker 1: to listen, Matt right, on Facebook. After listening to your 807 00:52:19,840 --> 00:52:22,200 Speaker 1: podcast about New Year's Day traditions, I wanted to share 808 00:52:22,360 --> 00:52:24,439 Speaker 1: with you at tradition that my friends and family call 809 00:52:24,920 --> 00:52:30,920 Speaker 1: Nacho Day. Already in ten years ago, my close friend 810 00:52:31,000 --> 00:52:32,959 Speaker 1: was a chef at a local restaurant and I spent 811 00:52:33,000 --> 00:52:36,200 Speaker 1: New Year's Day obnoxiously teasing him about how his nachos 812 00:52:36,200 --> 00:52:39,120 Speaker 1: were too expensive. He got annoyed and challenged me to 813 00:52:39,160 --> 00:52:41,920 Speaker 1: go a year without eating nachos at its restaurant. I 814 00:52:41,920 --> 00:52:44,839 Speaker 1: accepted the challenge and set the terms that if I won, 815 00:52:45,360 --> 00:52:48,320 Speaker 1: he would pay for nachos for me an unlimited guest 816 00:52:48,520 --> 00:52:51,640 Speaker 1: on New Year's Day the rest of the year. I won. 817 00:52:52,400 --> 00:52:55,360 Speaker 1: The first year, we ordered twenty five trades of nachos 818 00:52:55,520 --> 00:52:59,359 Speaker 1: and had fifty guests. This wager has turned into an 819 00:52:59,360 --> 00:53:02,719 Speaker 1: annual event it where friends, family, and local nacho enthusiasts 820 00:53:02,760 --> 00:53:06,360 Speaker 1: all gather at the same restaurant every day New Year's Day. 821 00:53:06,640 --> 00:53:09,680 Speaker 1: Nacho Day has grown into an event that as one 822 00:53:09,719 --> 00:53:12,480 Speaker 1: hundred plus guests, including the many kids who have arrived 823 00:53:12,480 --> 00:53:15,520 Speaker 1: in last ten years, and close to fifty plates of 824 00:53:15,640 --> 00:53:19,439 Speaker 1: nachos every year. There have been circumstances that almost ended 825 00:53:19,560 --> 00:53:23,480 Speaker 1: the streak, and one year of fire force relocation. The 826 00:53:23,560 --> 00:53:27,279 Speaker 1: tradition has made remained for ten years, has become our 827 00:53:27,320 --> 00:53:29,880 Speaker 1: own special, weird and delicious way to ring in the 828 00:53:29,880 --> 00:53:35,040 Speaker 1: new year. Invite yes, natural day. That is great. That 829 00:53:35,160 --> 00:53:38,480 Speaker 1: is a great one, and good for you from setting 830 00:53:38,760 --> 00:53:46,759 Speaker 1: terms and sticking it out because now unlimited unlimited natos. Yeah, yeah, 831 00:53:46,800 --> 00:53:50,839 Speaker 1: that's awesome. That is Since this episode is about McDonald's, 832 00:53:50,840 --> 00:53:53,320 Speaker 1: we thought we'd read as some of a detailed account 833 00:53:53,400 --> 00:53:57,239 Speaker 1: from Tyler, who was a former employee. I worked with 834 00:53:57,280 --> 00:54:00,320 Speaker 1: an old mixed sage who used some kind of black 835 00:54:00,360 --> 00:54:03,960 Speaker 1: magic to turn hamburger buns into doughnuts. I went through 836 00:54:03,960 --> 00:54:06,920 Speaker 1: a strawberry jam phase and enjoyed many a jelly donut 837 00:54:06,960 --> 00:54:10,160 Speaker 1: before being forbidden from making them by our owners. The 838 00:54:10,360 --> 00:54:13,600 Speaker 1: higher mcpowers do not take lightly to folks who use 839 00:54:13,680 --> 00:54:17,840 Speaker 1: their product to create actual food. In addition to donuts, 840 00:54:17,880 --> 00:54:20,279 Speaker 1: I have seen managers take stacks of beef patties and 841 00:54:20,360 --> 00:54:22,080 Speaker 1: chop them up on the girl to make ground beef, 842 00:54:22,120 --> 00:54:24,880 Speaker 1: then transfer into a pan filled with mick rib sauce 843 00:54:25,080 --> 00:54:28,239 Speaker 1: and serve it as a sloppy joe. That sounds good. Um. 844 00:54:28,600 --> 00:54:31,360 Speaker 1: There are just so many fundamental ingredients on hand at 845 00:54:31,400 --> 00:54:34,000 Speaker 1: all times that if you spend forty to sixty hours 846 00:54:34,040 --> 00:54:36,200 Speaker 1: a week in the store and get all your on 847 00:54:36,239 --> 00:54:39,400 Speaker 1: the clock meals for free, you can get super creative. 848 00:54:41,640 --> 00:54:44,040 Speaker 1: I never thought about it, but yeah, I guess. So 849 00:54:45,280 --> 00:54:48,200 Speaker 1: he sent out this quite the long email and it 850 00:54:48,280 --> 00:54:54,480 Speaker 1: was excellent and it included tales of Friar horrors and 851 00:54:54,640 --> 00:54:59,000 Speaker 1: keep eating flies and oh just it was great. Yeah. 852 00:54:59,080 --> 00:55:01,840 Speaker 1: It was the face that Annie is making. Isn't always 853 00:55:01,880 --> 00:55:03,680 Speaker 1: the face that she makes when she says things are great, 854 00:55:03,719 --> 00:55:06,480 Speaker 1: but in this case she means it very sincerely. Yes, 855 00:55:06,640 --> 00:55:10,600 Speaker 1: it was lovely. Thank you. Please, if you have any 856 00:55:10,640 --> 00:55:15,000 Speaker 1: McDonald's stories or any other stories, thoughts, suggestions, you can 857 00:55:15,239 --> 00:55:18,120 Speaker 1: email us. Our email addresses food Stuff at how staff 858 00:55:18,120 --> 00:55:20,880 Speaker 1: works dot com. Well, we are also on social media. 859 00:55:20,960 --> 00:55:24,280 Speaker 1: You can find us on Twitter and Facebook at food 860 00:55:24,280 --> 00:55:27,960 Speaker 1: stuff hs W. We're also on Instagram at food stuff. 861 00:55:28,560 --> 00:55:31,960 Speaker 1: Thank you so much to our super producer Dylan Fagan, 862 00:55:32,160 --> 00:55:35,399 Speaker 1: who is wearing such a fuzzy sweater today. It looks 863 00:55:35,440 --> 00:55:39,520 Speaker 1: it looks great. Um uh. Thanks to y'all for listening, 864 00:55:39,680 --> 00:55:41,640 Speaker 1: and we hope that lots more good things are coming 865 00:55:41,680 --> 00:55:43,960 Speaker 1: your way.