1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:02,880 Speaker 1: Brought to you by the reinvented two thousand twelve Camray. 2 00:00:03,120 --> 00:00:07,480 Speaker 1: It's ready. Are you welcome to stuff you should know 3 00:00:08,080 --> 00:00:16,840 Speaker 1: from house Stuff Works dot Com. Hey, Chuck, let's listen 4 00:00:16,840 --> 00:00:36,120 Speaker 1: to some Devo. So, Chuck, got a good feeling? You 5 00:00:36,200 --> 00:00:38,880 Speaker 1: like that? I love Devo, Dude, that's my favorite Devo song. 6 00:00:39,200 --> 00:00:43,760 Speaker 1: Acron Boys. Yeah, they're from Ohio, late seventies, early eighties 7 00:00:43,840 --> 00:00:48,159 Speaker 1: quintessential new wave band Devo. We just listened to gut Feeling. 8 00:00:48,320 --> 00:00:52,440 Speaker 1: It originally appeared on their album Q Are we not 9 00:00:52,600 --> 00:00:56,920 Speaker 1: men a say it? Chuck? We are Devo? Yeah, but 10 00:00:56,960 --> 00:00:59,760 Speaker 1: with an exclamation and not the right yeah. It doesn't 11 00:00:59,760 --> 00:01:03,480 Speaker 1: say no, it doesn't um and uh. I got my 12 00:01:03,600 --> 00:01:07,800 Speaker 1: copy from the soundtrack of Wes Anderson's The Life Aquatic 13 00:01:08,000 --> 00:01:11,039 Speaker 1: with Steve z Sue, Right, Inn't that? Is it Life 14 00:01:11,080 --> 00:01:13,680 Speaker 1: Aquatic or Aquatic Life? The Life Aquatic? People are probably 15 00:01:13,680 --> 00:01:15,679 Speaker 1: like I thought this was some McDonald's. Yes, you would 16 00:01:15,680 --> 00:01:18,520 Speaker 1: think so. And here's the reason. Why do you remember that? 17 00:01:19,360 --> 00:01:22,959 Speaker 1: I just said, like thirty seconds ago. Divo is the 18 00:01:23,040 --> 00:01:26,240 Speaker 1: quintessential late seventies early eighties new wave band. I do 19 00:01:26,360 --> 00:01:30,399 Speaker 1: remember that. Well. Apparently the designers of Happy Meal toys 20 00:01:30,400 --> 00:01:34,959 Speaker 1: that McDonald's agree. They've released a series of Happy Meals 21 00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:38,240 Speaker 1: toys that are little characters based on different genres of music. 22 00:01:38,720 --> 00:01:41,479 Speaker 1: And there's one called new Wave Nigel. He's got these 23 00:01:41,480 --> 00:01:44,360 Speaker 1: thin sunglasses and spiky hair, and he happens to have 24 00:01:44,440 --> 00:01:48,680 Speaker 1: a very recognizable hat looks like a flower pot that's 25 00:01:48,720 --> 00:01:52,120 Speaker 1: upside down exactly. Uh. And to Mark Mother's Ball and 26 00:01:52,160 --> 00:01:54,400 Speaker 1: the other guys in Devo, it looked a lot like 27 00:01:54,440 --> 00:01:58,200 Speaker 1: what they call their energy Dome hats, which they trademarked. 28 00:01:58,760 --> 00:02:03,120 Speaker 1: So now they're suing MacDonald's for unlicensed use of this 29 00:02:03,320 --> 00:02:09,120 Speaker 1: of this hat McDonald's exactly. Yeah, that's a pretty accurate. Actually, Chuck, 30 00:02:09,200 --> 00:02:12,760 Speaker 1: McDonald's at any given point in time has a handful 31 00:02:12,800 --> 00:02:15,519 Speaker 1: of lawsuits against them. I think that's any big company, though, 32 00:02:15,880 --> 00:02:19,320 Speaker 1: it is. But that's that's that's a good point. McDonald's 33 00:02:19,440 --> 00:02:25,960 Speaker 1: has become this emblematic symbolic face. The golden arches are 34 00:02:26,040 --> 00:02:29,360 Speaker 1: like the logo of more than just McDonald's, logo of 35 00:02:29,360 --> 00:02:39,040 Speaker 1: of corporate America, of America, obesity, uh, mick jobs, globalization, globalization, glocalization. Yeah, 36 00:02:39,040 --> 00:02:41,399 Speaker 1: we'll talk about that, of course. Yeah, there's there's there's 37 00:02:41,480 --> 00:02:46,040 Speaker 1: just for being a fast food restaurant. They've come to 38 00:02:46,040 --> 00:02:50,839 Speaker 1: take on these huge representations of these enormous concepts, and 39 00:02:50,960 --> 00:02:53,880 Speaker 1: I gotta admit some they've handled well, some they haven't. 40 00:02:53,919 --> 00:02:56,160 Speaker 1: But they're still standing. You know, well they love it. 41 00:02:56,200 --> 00:02:57,680 Speaker 1: You take the good with the bad as much as 42 00:02:57,680 --> 00:02:59,920 Speaker 1: they hate being the symbol of the face of a 43 00:03:00,040 --> 00:03:01,960 Speaker 1: b CD. They're like, yeah, but we sell a lot 44 00:03:02,000 --> 00:03:04,520 Speaker 1: of big macs exactly. We know that you like him, 45 00:03:04,600 --> 00:03:07,760 Speaker 1: fat boy. Yeah, that's that's kind of the idea that 46 00:03:07,800 --> 00:03:11,120 Speaker 1: I have them to chuck. Yes, we've got Devo out 47 00:03:11,160 --> 00:03:12,880 Speaker 1: of the way. We can check that off the list. 48 00:03:13,360 --> 00:03:16,080 Speaker 1: All right, you want to talk about Mickey D's, should 49 00:03:16,080 --> 00:03:18,840 Speaker 1: we go? Let's start with history, because it's a pretty 50 00:03:18,880 --> 00:03:21,240 Speaker 1: interesting history. It is a lot of people out there 51 00:03:21,280 --> 00:03:23,480 Speaker 1: probably think, oh, yeah, I know about McDonald's history because 52 00:03:23,480 --> 00:03:25,200 Speaker 1: I've stood there in line and read the plaque that 53 00:03:25,280 --> 00:03:28,840 Speaker 1: says Ray Kroc invented McDonald's and he started it all 54 00:03:28,919 --> 00:03:35,000 Speaker 1: up the embossed plaque. Not true. No, Actually, I often 55 00:03:35,080 --> 00:03:39,400 Speaker 1: wondered as a child why the founder of McDonald's last 56 00:03:39,480 --> 00:03:42,480 Speaker 1: name wasn't McDonald's, it was Croc. But it is because 57 00:03:42,560 --> 00:03:45,080 Speaker 1: mc croc is would you buy a burger from a 58 00:03:45,080 --> 00:03:48,280 Speaker 1: place called m Cross. It's like buying a piece of 59 00:03:48,280 --> 00:03:53,640 Speaker 1: furniture from unpainted huff Huns. Right, very nice. Uh. How 60 00:03:53,640 --> 00:03:57,520 Speaker 1: many times do we reference Cohen Brothers films all the time? Uh? 61 00:03:58,080 --> 00:04:02,000 Speaker 1: Flashback to the Great Depression. Yeah, let's go have another 62 00:04:02,040 --> 00:04:05,200 Speaker 1: piece of pie. That kind of time period, that song 63 00:04:05,280 --> 00:04:08,360 Speaker 1: would have gone, well, it would have h the nineteen thirties. 64 00:04:08,480 --> 00:04:11,880 Speaker 1: Dick and mac McDonald. You might not recognize that name. 65 00:04:12,320 --> 00:04:14,840 Speaker 1: They were running a movie theater in California and not 66 00:04:14,920 --> 00:04:18,520 Speaker 1: doing too well. First question, Okay, who names their kid 67 00:04:18,720 --> 00:04:23,880 Speaker 1: mac McDonald a little suspect? Pride? Wacky parents? Um, And 68 00:04:23,960 --> 00:04:27,040 Speaker 1: they were not doing too great, and so they noticed 69 00:04:27,040 --> 00:04:29,440 Speaker 1: across the street. It's literally one of these stories. We're like, boy, 70 00:04:29,480 --> 00:04:33,839 Speaker 1: that hot dog business is gangbusters. We should open up 71 00:04:33,839 --> 00:04:36,960 Speaker 1: a hot dog stand. So they borrowed five thousand dollars, 72 00:04:36,960 --> 00:04:38,400 Speaker 1: which seems like a lot of money at the time 73 00:04:38,400 --> 00:04:40,000 Speaker 1: to open a hot dog's name, no doubt. Well, I 74 00:04:40,000 --> 00:04:41,880 Speaker 1: think I get the impression that they opened like one 75 00:04:41,880 --> 00:04:44,120 Speaker 1: of those very early diners because they call it the 76 00:04:44,160 --> 00:04:49,479 Speaker 1: air Dome hot dog Stand, right, yeah, air drone air drone, Yeah, yeah, sure, 77 00:04:49,520 --> 00:04:53,200 Speaker 1: I get the same thing. And by nineteen forty, they 78 00:04:53,240 --> 00:04:57,440 Speaker 1: moved that from Arcadia, which was the original location, to 79 00:04:57,600 --> 00:05:01,240 Speaker 1: San Bernardino and they changed the name to McDonald Barbecue. Right, 80 00:05:01,279 --> 00:05:03,599 Speaker 1: so they went from a hot dog stand to a 81 00:05:03,600 --> 00:05:06,840 Speaker 1: barbecue joint. Well it wasn't barbecue, that just meant on 82 00:05:06,880 --> 00:05:09,440 Speaker 1: the grill, I think because they served burgers and burgers, 83 00:05:09,480 --> 00:05:12,480 Speaker 1: fries and milkshakes. Yeah, that that change was a m 84 00:05:12,880 --> 00:05:15,080 Speaker 1: It was a big deal because they dropped a lot 85 00:05:15,120 --> 00:05:17,800 Speaker 1: of their stuff. Right, Well, they shut down, they closed 86 00:05:17,800 --> 00:05:19,640 Speaker 1: the business for a little while to retool, which was 87 00:05:20,360 --> 00:05:21,880 Speaker 1: you just kind of didn't do this at the time 88 00:05:22,080 --> 00:05:24,640 Speaker 1: they were, Yeah, because they were already pretty successful. This 89 00:05:24,680 --> 00:05:28,360 Speaker 1: wasn't like a slou che business. But the the McDonald's 90 00:05:28,360 --> 00:05:32,520 Speaker 1: brothers UM or the brothers McDonald um felt like they 91 00:05:32,560 --> 00:05:34,200 Speaker 1: could do it better. I guess one of them had 92 00:05:34,240 --> 00:05:38,560 Speaker 1: some some sort of inspiration from the assembly line, right, Yeah, 93 00:05:38,560 --> 00:05:41,160 Speaker 1: I think from the auto industry, and so they created 94 00:05:41,240 --> 00:05:45,960 Speaker 1: the Speedy System Speedy System sp E E, d E 95 00:05:46,760 --> 00:05:50,240 Speaker 1: and dude. That's where it really changed the world as 96 00:05:50,240 --> 00:05:52,640 Speaker 1: we know it. And that's not overstating it. That was 97 00:05:52,680 --> 00:05:54,839 Speaker 1: the birth of modern fast food. It is. They also 98 00:05:54,880 --> 00:05:57,200 Speaker 1: did away with the car hops like people on roller skates. 99 00:05:57,200 --> 00:05:59,719 Speaker 1: He used to come up and um, take your order 100 00:05:59,720 --> 00:06:02,240 Speaker 1: at your car. You had to come in. Um. But yeah, 101 00:06:02,320 --> 00:06:05,479 Speaker 1: more than anything else, they changed the fast food industry 102 00:06:05,680 --> 00:06:08,279 Speaker 1: with that speedy system. Basically, they took the principles of 103 00:06:08,279 --> 00:06:11,440 Speaker 1: the assembly line and applied it to food. So if 104 00:06:11,480 --> 00:06:13,719 Speaker 1: you were, you know, in charge of cooking the burgers, 105 00:06:14,000 --> 00:06:17,760 Speaker 1: you didn't put the burger on, the buns on the 106 00:06:17,760 --> 00:06:20,359 Speaker 1: burger like. There were different people involved in the burger 107 00:06:20,400 --> 00:06:22,960 Speaker 1: making process. I can attest to this because my first 108 00:06:23,040 --> 00:06:25,200 Speaker 1: job was at McDonald's. Well I worked there too, for 109 00:06:25,279 --> 00:06:27,080 Speaker 1: an hour. We'll talk about that later because that's some 110 00:06:27,480 --> 00:06:30,800 Speaker 1: We have some famous cohorts that worked at McDonald's that 111 00:06:30,839 --> 00:06:33,280 Speaker 1: I looked up nice and we were not famous, but 112 00:06:33,320 --> 00:06:36,160 Speaker 1: we worked there. I didn't know your story. I can't 113 00:06:36,200 --> 00:06:39,120 Speaker 1: wait to hear that. Uh. So they were really successful. 114 00:06:39,160 --> 00:06:42,320 Speaker 1: Over the next six years, they sold twenty one franchises, 115 00:06:42,680 --> 00:06:47,240 Speaker 1: open nine outlets themselves, and they were doing so well 116 00:06:47,279 --> 00:06:49,840 Speaker 1: that they said, we need these multi mixers that can 117 00:06:49,920 --> 00:06:52,040 Speaker 1: mix five milkshakes at once because we need to increase 118 00:06:52,080 --> 00:06:55,320 Speaker 1: the speed. And their multi mixer salesman was a man 119 00:06:55,560 --> 00:06:58,960 Speaker 1: named Ray Croc. Here is where the little bit of 120 00:06:59,000 --> 00:07:02,240 Speaker 1: fate comes in, right, these guys were running. I think 121 00:07:02,600 --> 00:07:05,320 Speaker 1: there there eight shakes that he can make at a time, 122 00:07:05,720 --> 00:07:09,000 Speaker 1: multi mixer five shakes. Now, they ordered eight of them 123 00:07:09,560 --> 00:07:12,320 Speaker 1: and they had them running all day long. And Ray 124 00:07:12,400 --> 00:07:15,760 Speaker 1: crocs like, it's the most multi mixers anyone's ever ordered 125 00:07:15,760 --> 00:07:18,400 Speaker 1: it once. So he actually went out to Burdue to 126 00:07:18,480 --> 00:07:21,520 Speaker 1: find out what was going on. Yeah, remember the Hell's 127 00:07:21,560 --> 00:07:27,840 Speaker 1: Angels podcast? Did San Bernardina? Sorry, yeah, that's okay, but um, 128 00:07:28,000 --> 00:07:30,120 Speaker 1: we wouldn't go see it himself, and it's like, what 129 00:07:30,320 --> 00:07:33,400 Speaker 1: is going on here? He was on board immediately. Apparently 130 00:07:34,000 --> 00:07:37,720 Speaker 1: Jacques Pepine put it um, the famous French chef Jack 131 00:07:37,760 --> 00:07:41,360 Speaker 1: pipin Uh, he wrote an article about Ray Kroc and 132 00:07:41,640 --> 00:07:45,040 Speaker 1: as he put it um, he pitched the idea of 133 00:07:45,080 --> 00:07:48,960 Speaker 1: the brothers to really start expanding their operation. And they said, well, 134 00:07:49,080 --> 00:07:51,400 Speaker 1: where would we get somebody to do this for us? 135 00:07:51,440 --> 00:07:54,840 Speaker 1: And Ray Kroc said, what about me? And he became 136 00:07:54,880 --> 00:07:58,360 Speaker 1: their franchising agent. Right, yeah, apparently he his his original 137 00:07:58,680 --> 00:08:02,000 Speaker 1: um motivation was to sell multi mixers, and he figured 138 00:08:02,000 --> 00:08:04,160 Speaker 1: if he could open up more franchises, they're selling tons 139 00:08:04,160 --> 00:08:07,760 Speaker 1: of milkshakes. They're lousy with milkshakes. So I can sell 140 00:08:07,760 --> 00:08:09,440 Speaker 1: more multi mixers. So that was kind of how it 141 00:08:09,440 --> 00:08:13,840 Speaker 1: started out. Yeah, and he opened his first McDonald's franchise 142 00:08:14,760 --> 00:08:17,760 Speaker 1: uh in de Plaine, Illinois, right, And that's actually the 143 00:08:18,000 --> 00:08:22,560 Speaker 1: now a museum that McDonald's location. There are two. There's 144 00:08:22,600 --> 00:08:24,800 Speaker 1: a Big Mac Museum, which we'll talk about where the 145 00:08:24,800 --> 00:08:29,360 Speaker 1: Big Matt came from later, and then there's the McDonald's museum. Anyway, 146 00:08:29,560 --> 00:08:31,280 Speaker 1: So he opens up that one and in the next 147 00:08:31,400 --> 00:08:35,760 Speaker 1: five years, dude, he franchises two hundred more restaurants. What's 148 00:08:35,800 --> 00:08:41,280 Speaker 1: amazing though, is that he didn't he wasn't filthy rich 149 00:08:41,880 --> 00:08:44,559 Speaker 1: in that next five years. He actually had a lot 150 00:08:44,600 --> 00:08:48,640 Speaker 1: of trouble getting these things off the ground. Right. So 151 00:08:48,880 --> 00:08:51,840 Speaker 1: we've got one thing under our belt when we're describing 152 00:08:51,920 --> 00:08:54,520 Speaker 1: the success of McDonald's, right, and that is the speedy 153 00:08:54,559 --> 00:08:58,360 Speaker 1: system using the principles of the assembly line for fast food. 154 00:08:59,840 --> 00:09:03,440 Speaker 1: The other thing that made McDonald's as successful as it is, 155 00:09:04,080 --> 00:09:09,480 Speaker 1: um was the real estate principles that the company took on, right. Yeah, 156 00:09:09,520 --> 00:09:12,000 Speaker 1: Harry he hired a gout named Harry Soniborn and he 157 00:09:12,040 --> 00:09:14,840 Speaker 1: only worked there for like a decade, but that completely 158 00:09:15,160 --> 00:09:19,320 Speaker 1: rewrote their business model, uh to the point where they 159 00:09:19,360 --> 00:09:22,280 Speaker 1: were making more money off of real estate than selling hamburgers, right, 160 00:09:22,320 --> 00:09:25,320 Speaker 1: Because originally Ray Kroc would be like, hey, uh, we've 161 00:09:25,360 --> 00:09:28,599 Speaker 1: got this kind of newish franchise. And McDonald's was in 162 00:09:28,679 --> 00:09:32,000 Speaker 1: the first fast food restaurant. Howard Johnson's was around already, 163 00:09:32,120 --> 00:09:36,600 Speaker 1: White Castle was around already, They had they had competition right, um, 164 00:09:37,000 --> 00:09:39,120 Speaker 1: and these bigger guys who had been around for a 165 00:09:39,120 --> 00:09:41,640 Speaker 1: while could just build as many as they wanted to 166 00:09:41,720 --> 00:09:44,120 Speaker 1: in a region because they had tons of capital. Well, 167 00:09:44,200 --> 00:09:47,319 Speaker 1: McDonald's franchise was still pretty young, so when they went 168 00:09:47,360 --> 00:09:50,520 Speaker 1: to franchisees, these were very hopeful people who are maybe 169 00:09:50,800 --> 00:09:54,280 Speaker 1: uh were were for the underdog, that kind of thing, 170 00:09:54,440 --> 00:09:56,880 Speaker 1: sort of green. They weren't like super investors, right, and 171 00:09:56,920 --> 00:09:58,800 Speaker 1: so they didn't have a lot of money. So these 172 00:09:58,800 --> 00:10:01,760 Speaker 1: guys would have to basically opened one franchise at a 173 00:10:01,800 --> 00:10:04,439 Speaker 1: time because the building expense in the land expense for 174 00:10:04,600 --> 00:10:06,720 Speaker 1: so much. What Santa Born came up with it was 175 00:10:06,800 --> 00:10:09,680 Speaker 1: like just lease the land and then sub lease it 176 00:10:10,040 --> 00:10:12,959 Speaker 1: to the to the franchise e and then not only 177 00:10:13,000 --> 00:10:16,920 Speaker 1: that mark up the leasing fees, but initially it was 178 00:10:16,920 --> 00:10:19,720 Speaker 1: twenty percent over what they were paying the lease. The place. 179 00:10:20,040 --> 00:10:22,439 Speaker 1: Then they up at the forty and then finally when 180 00:10:22,520 --> 00:10:26,920 Speaker 1: McDonald started rolling, it was either forty or five percent 181 00:10:26,960 --> 00:10:30,400 Speaker 1: of sales, whichever was greater. So yeah, right, the the 182 00:10:30,440 --> 00:10:34,839 Speaker 1: franchise realty corporation, uh made as much money as as 183 00:10:34,880 --> 00:10:37,680 Speaker 1: the McDonald's corporation for a while. If it's really it doesn't. 184 00:10:37,679 --> 00:10:40,840 Speaker 1: Still it was a stroke of genius, yeah, basically, And 185 00:10:40,880 --> 00:10:44,200 Speaker 1: so that enabled Croc uh in nineteen sixty one to 186 00:10:44,400 --> 00:10:47,800 Speaker 1: buy out the McDonald's I'm sorry, the McDonald brothers for 187 00:10:48,160 --> 00:10:52,000 Speaker 1: what was it, two point seven million in like nineteen 188 00:10:52,120 --> 00:10:56,120 Speaker 1: sixty three, yeah, two point seven in nineteen sixty one. Uh, 189 00:10:56,160 --> 00:10:59,200 Speaker 1: they gave up the rights to the McDonald's name. Uh, 190 00:10:59,280 --> 00:11:00,920 Speaker 1: Dick and mac. Do you want to what happened to them? 191 00:11:00,920 --> 00:11:04,280 Speaker 1: They reopened the original San Bernardino joint as the Big 192 00:11:04,480 --> 00:11:08,600 Speaker 1: M and h Ray Kroc was like, yeah, I don't 193 00:11:08,600 --> 00:11:11,560 Speaker 1: like you reopening that original store, So I'm gonna open 194 00:11:11,720 --> 00:11:14,120 Speaker 1: McDonald's down the street and run you out of business. 195 00:11:14,160 --> 00:11:18,199 Speaker 1: And that's what happened, and that that strategy still followed 196 00:11:18,240 --> 00:11:20,800 Speaker 1: today if you pay any attention to Home Depot and Lows. 197 00:11:22,160 --> 00:11:27,559 Speaker 1: Oh sure, thank you for that. And uh, apparently Kroc 198 00:11:27,760 --> 00:11:30,079 Speaker 1: and you know this is in his autobiography, so we're 199 00:11:30,120 --> 00:11:34,200 Speaker 1: not slinging stones here. He actually fostered this bitterness between 200 00:11:34,360 --> 00:11:37,760 Speaker 1: himself and Dick McDonald, who was their surviving brother, and 201 00:11:38,760 --> 00:11:43,280 Speaker 1: Kroc considered the planes location the original first McDonald's. He 202 00:11:43,360 --> 00:11:46,480 Speaker 1: never wavered from that, and himself the founder well obviously 203 00:11:46,520 --> 00:11:48,760 Speaker 1: if you've ever seen the emboss plaque, he never hear 204 00:11:48,800 --> 00:11:51,559 Speaker 1: any mention McDonald brothers. So people have challenged that from 205 00:11:51,559 --> 00:11:54,760 Speaker 1: time to time, enough so that the McDonald's Corporation's official 206 00:11:54,880 --> 00:11:59,640 Speaker 1: site now says, yes, Dick and mc McDonald founded a 207 00:11:59,720 --> 00:12:03,840 Speaker 1: ref draw and Ray Kroc, you know, originally came on board, 208 00:12:04,000 --> 00:12:07,480 Speaker 1: but he's the founder of the McDonald's Corporation. So that's 209 00:12:07,480 --> 00:12:12,560 Speaker 1: how they kind of justify that. Got you. I do 210 00:12:12,600 --> 00:12:15,719 Speaker 1: want to point out to that, um, unbeknownst to the 211 00:12:15,760 --> 00:12:18,560 Speaker 1: franchise e, the capital that they got from raising the 212 00:12:18,600 --> 00:12:21,800 Speaker 1: money for you know, with the leases, they used that 213 00:12:21,920 --> 00:12:25,640 Speaker 1: to fund the opening of other franchises. So that's how 214 00:12:25,640 --> 00:12:28,719 Speaker 1: they started kind of rolling and uh, sort of like 215 00:12:28,880 --> 00:12:31,800 Speaker 1: a puny scheme a little bit, but this one was 216 00:12:32,360 --> 00:12:34,280 Speaker 1: slightly more legal. It was on the open. I had 217 00:12:34,280 --> 00:12:38,200 Speaker 1: a pretty good payoff apparently uh. Kroc took McDonald's public 218 00:12:38,240 --> 00:12:41,720 Speaker 1: in sixty five, and if you had bought two thousand 219 00:12:41,800 --> 00:12:47,240 Speaker 1: dollars worth of stock that year and it's initial public offering, 220 00:12:47,440 --> 00:12:50,439 Speaker 1: it would be worth three point five million today. Yeah, 221 00:12:50,720 --> 00:12:52,960 Speaker 1: that's not a bad return in an investment. So he 222 00:12:53,000 --> 00:12:57,400 Speaker 1: bought the company in sixty one, by sixty three, he 223 00:12:57,440 --> 00:13:00,280 Speaker 1: had opened up his five by sixty five if they 224 00:13:00,320 --> 00:13:03,120 Speaker 1: went public, and then twenty years after they went public, 225 00:13:03,160 --> 00:13:06,280 Speaker 1: they were included in the dal Jones industrial average. That 226 00:13:06,480 --> 00:13:10,560 Speaker 1: is what's called a super rapid ascent into wealth. The 227 00:13:10,640 --> 00:13:13,960 Speaker 1: dalve Jones only has thirty companies, and McDonald's is one 228 00:13:13,960 --> 00:13:16,080 Speaker 1: of them. What's more, and one of the things that 229 00:13:16,160 --> 00:13:20,120 Speaker 1: explains that success, but that kind of also supports it, 230 00:13:20,240 --> 00:13:24,200 Speaker 1: is that UM they started catering towards kids and cultivating 231 00:13:24,640 --> 00:13:28,680 Speaker 1: customer loyalty at a very early age thanks to a 232 00:13:28,720 --> 00:13:32,440 Speaker 1: guy named Willard Scott, who you may know was the 233 00:13:32,440 --> 00:13:34,679 Speaker 1: weather man for the Today Show for many years, the 234 00:13:34,760 --> 00:13:39,319 Speaker 1: Demented Smucker's Jelly spokesperson or Boza the clown yeah, or 235 00:13:39,559 --> 00:13:42,839 Speaker 1: Ronald McDonald. He was the first one. He was first 236 00:13:42,840 --> 00:13:46,880 Speaker 1: in a long long line of Ronald McDonald's um and 237 00:13:46,920 --> 00:13:49,920 Speaker 1: he was the first character, and then pretty soon they 238 00:13:49,960 --> 00:13:53,480 Speaker 1: started adding more and more McDonald's characters. But let's stick 239 00:13:53,520 --> 00:13:56,079 Speaker 1: with Ronald for a second. Did you know that they 240 00:13:56,120 --> 00:14:00,640 Speaker 1: they introduced Ronald McDonald in right or I think it 241 00:14:00,720 --> 00:14:05,400 Speaker 1: was sixty three, Okay, sixty three. By nineteen nineteen sixty nine, 242 00:14:05,880 --> 00:14:10,200 Speaker 1: more kids could identify Ronald McDonald than they could the 243 00:14:10,240 --> 00:14:15,920 Speaker 1: American President. That's American kids of them could identify Ronald 244 00:14:16,000 --> 00:14:19,280 Speaker 1: McDonald six years after he was introduced. Yeah. Yeah, And 245 00:14:19,440 --> 00:14:21,560 Speaker 1: my research, I don't know that's true or not, but 246 00:14:21,600 --> 00:14:24,520 Speaker 1: it says that Willard Scott was originally let go because 247 00:14:24,520 --> 00:14:27,360 Speaker 1: he was too fat and they didn't want a big 248 00:14:27,400 --> 00:14:30,360 Speaker 1: fat clown has their spokesman for their food. He is 249 00:14:30,400 --> 00:14:33,720 Speaker 1: a leaner than usual clown except for those huge hawk 250 00:14:33,920 --> 00:14:37,720 Speaker 1: thighs that he's always had. The saddle bag gup like 251 00:14:37,760 --> 00:14:41,200 Speaker 1: they're writing pants. Yeah, okay, so they come up with 252 00:14:41,280 --> 00:14:43,440 Speaker 1: Ronald McDonald, but they're trying to figure out how to 253 00:14:43,480 --> 00:14:46,320 Speaker 1: expand the characters. Right, well, Chuck, you and I grew 254 00:14:46,360 --> 00:14:48,200 Speaker 1: up in the eighties. We've written a fry guy or 255 00:14:48,240 --> 00:14:55,200 Speaker 1: two before out in the playground, right, Um, Hamburglar, the Hamburglar, Grimace. Um, 256 00:14:55,240 --> 00:14:59,080 Speaker 1: You've got Mary mccheese, who was one of my personal favorites. Um, 257 00:14:59,200 --> 00:15:04,760 Speaker 1: the big mac cop. Oh yeah, god, I wish you 258 00:15:04,800 --> 00:15:07,680 Speaker 1: had his name. I do too. Well, there's some listener 259 00:15:07,720 --> 00:15:11,880 Speaker 1: mail force. Um, and all of these people originally were 260 00:15:12,120 --> 00:15:17,600 Speaker 1: going to be licensed characters from Sid marty Croft, the 261 00:15:17,640 --> 00:15:19,720 Speaker 1: guys who used to eat a ton of acid and 262 00:15:19,760 --> 00:15:23,400 Speaker 1: create children's shows HR Puff and Stuff. Right. Um, So 263 00:15:23,440 --> 00:15:26,880 Speaker 1: originally McDonald's corporation approached Sid marty Croft and said, hey, 264 00:15:26,920 --> 00:15:29,440 Speaker 1: we want to license your Puff and Stuff characters. Sider 265 00:15:29,440 --> 00:15:31,880 Speaker 1: marty Croft said, okay, we can, We'll totally do that. 266 00:15:32,200 --> 00:15:34,440 Speaker 1: They waited for McDonald's call back, waited for him to 267 00:15:34,440 --> 00:15:36,640 Speaker 1: call back. McDonald's finally called back and said now we're 268 00:15:36,680 --> 00:15:40,080 Speaker 1: not gonna do it and blatantly ripped him off. So 269 00:15:40,200 --> 00:15:43,800 Speaker 1: Sid marty Croft like, oh yeah, Sigma and the Sea Monster, 270 00:15:43,800 --> 00:15:45,520 Speaker 1: they kind of all had that same thing. I saw 271 00:15:46,200 --> 00:15:49,000 Speaker 1: commercial from nineteen seventy once, the first one that Grimace 272 00:15:49,040 --> 00:15:51,800 Speaker 1: appears in, and it actually features a young Jodie Foster. 273 00:15:52,960 --> 00:15:55,800 Speaker 1: It is straight out of the H and R Puff 274 00:15:55,840 --> 00:15:59,240 Speaker 1: and HR Puff and Stuff shows. Like instead of flowers, 275 00:15:59,240 --> 00:16:02,120 Speaker 1: there's little cheese burgers everywhere. I mean, it's just completely 276 00:16:02,160 --> 00:16:05,040 Speaker 1: like a Sid marty Craft ripop, so much so that 277 00:16:05,120 --> 00:16:08,520 Speaker 1: when the Kraft Brothers sued, uh, they were awarded fifty grand. 278 00:16:08,560 --> 00:16:11,960 Speaker 1: But that was it. But did you know this Grimace, 279 00:16:12,240 --> 00:16:17,480 Speaker 1: who's just bumbling, puppy, purple weird sidekick of Ronald best 280 00:16:17,520 --> 00:16:21,840 Speaker 1: friend Um was originally Evil Grimace, which is probably why 281 00:16:21,880 --> 00:16:25,040 Speaker 1: they called him Grimmace. He had three pairs of arms 282 00:16:25,800 --> 00:16:29,800 Speaker 1: and they were meant to steal as many shakes as possible. Yeah, 283 00:16:29,840 --> 00:16:32,680 Speaker 1: and then they figured that's just creepy and don't like it, 284 00:16:32,720 --> 00:16:34,840 Speaker 1: so we're gonna put it back to two one pair 285 00:16:34,880 --> 00:16:39,200 Speaker 1: of arms and he's gonna be nice. Yeah, Evil Grimace. 286 00:16:39,640 --> 00:16:41,840 Speaker 1: You know that Sid marty Croft had the place in Atlanta. 287 00:16:42,080 --> 00:16:43,600 Speaker 1: You didn't grow up here, but when I was a kid, 288 00:16:43,680 --> 00:16:47,400 Speaker 1: Sid marty Croft Land was at the top of the 289 00:16:47,480 --> 00:16:50,800 Speaker 1: top floor of the Omni, the old Armni you know 290 00:16:50,880 --> 00:16:53,840 Speaker 1: what became Philips Arena. What. Yeah, there was his escalator 291 00:16:53,880 --> 00:16:56,280 Speaker 1: I remember. I mean now it's probably not as long 292 00:16:56,320 --> 00:16:57,600 Speaker 1: as I remember, but it seemed like it was like 293 00:16:58,320 --> 00:17:00,760 Speaker 1: the longest escalator in the world. Time that went to 294 00:17:00,760 --> 00:17:04,000 Speaker 1: the top to Sid in marty Croftland. Did they create 295 00:17:04,240 --> 00:17:07,480 Speaker 1: the banana splits too? I don't think so. Were they 296 00:17:07,520 --> 00:17:10,000 Speaker 1: from Atlanta? I don't know the connection there. I know 297 00:17:10,040 --> 00:17:12,600 Speaker 1: it was a pretty big failure. Yeah, it closed down 298 00:17:12,720 --> 00:17:15,080 Speaker 1: in short order, but I went. I'll bet it was 299 00:17:15,160 --> 00:17:19,119 Speaker 1: real popular among the hip teenagers, I bet, especially especially 300 00:17:19,119 --> 00:17:22,160 Speaker 1: in the nineteen right up there Alley. All right, Josh, 301 00:17:22,240 --> 00:17:26,000 Speaker 1: let's say you wanted to open a McDonald's restaurant back 302 00:17:26,000 --> 00:17:28,119 Speaker 1: in the day, your Ray Croc and how would you 303 00:17:28,160 --> 00:17:32,960 Speaker 1: go about spotting a good location? What are you looking for? Well, 304 00:17:33,040 --> 00:17:36,040 Speaker 1: first I put on my tin gallon hat. I would 305 00:17:36,080 --> 00:17:39,159 Speaker 1: board a helicopter, which he did. I would start flying 306 00:17:39,160 --> 00:17:42,560 Speaker 1: around areas that were up and coming, and I would 307 00:17:42,640 --> 00:17:47,280 Speaker 1: try to find uh an intersection with the church, a school, 308 00:17:48,200 --> 00:17:52,840 Speaker 1: maybe some other stores, and I would PLoP it right there. Yep, 309 00:17:53,119 --> 00:17:56,440 Speaker 1: That's exactly what he did. And specifically, I think physical 310 00:17:56,480 --> 00:18:00,520 Speaker 1: space wise, developers look for more than thirty two thousand 311 00:18:00,520 --> 00:18:05,480 Speaker 1: square feet, which is a little over ninety seven a 312 00:18:05,560 --> 00:18:08,960 Speaker 1: height of twenty two ft, which I don't understand. I 313 00:18:08,960 --> 00:18:12,240 Speaker 1: guess that the height and clearance is what they're looking for. Yeah, 314 00:18:12,240 --> 00:18:18,600 Speaker 1: elevation they're looking for for the so the McDonald's exactly, 315 00:18:18,640 --> 00:18:21,040 Speaker 1: and they still to this day look to place them 316 00:18:21,200 --> 00:18:26,280 Speaker 1: near intersections with traffic lights or airports, schools, a ton 317 00:18:26,320 --> 00:18:30,119 Speaker 1: of people. Yeah, and originally they they thought behind it 318 00:18:30,160 --> 00:18:31,800 Speaker 1: was they wanted to put it where the heart of 319 00:18:31,800 --> 00:18:33,680 Speaker 1: the community was. Well, no, they wanted to put it 320 00:18:33,720 --> 00:18:35,600 Speaker 1: where as many people as possible. We're going to pass 321 00:18:35,640 --> 00:18:39,119 Speaker 1: by three times a day. And they still use that 322 00:18:39,320 --> 00:18:42,639 Speaker 1: classic speedy type system, and I'm sure they don't call 323 00:18:42,680 --> 00:18:46,000 Speaker 1: it that, but still the assembly line automated stuff is 324 00:18:46,000 --> 00:18:49,560 Speaker 1: taken over many aspects. Obviously, if you've been in McDonald's 325 00:18:49,560 --> 00:18:52,639 Speaker 1: in the last decade, you've seen the automatic fry cooker 326 00:18:52,640 --> 00:18:56,000 Speaker 1: and the automatic drink filler and uh, you know, you 327 00:18:56,040 --> 00:18:57,560 Speaker 1: go to the drive through window and there's a little 328 00:18:57,600 --> 00:18:59,800 Speaker 1: screen telling you what you're ordering. Dude, let's talk about 329 00:19:00,040 --> 00:19:03,159 Speaker 1: drive through window, because there are certain McDonald's in the 330 00:19:03,280 --> 00:19:06,320 Speaker 1: United States where when you pull up to the drive 331 00:19:06,359 --> 00:19:10,240 Speaker 1: through many you place your order, you are speaking to 332 00:19:10,280 --> 00:19:13,119 Speaker 1: someone in a call center in another state. Yeah. Do 333 00:19:13,160 --> 00:19:15,680 Speaker 1: you know that there's another state or another country, another state? Okay, 334 00:19:15,720 --> 00:19:18,119 Speaker 1: I think there are ones where they I think there 335 00:19:18,160 --> 00:19:21,080 Speaker 1: are some that are in other countries. Yes, But the 336 00:19:21,680 --> 00:19:24,000 Speaker 1: based on the New York Times article I read they 337 00:19:24,040 --> 00:19:27,119 Speaker 1: were in these were McDonald's in Missouri, and they were 338 00:19:27,119 --> 00:19:29,159 Speaker 1: talking to people in Colorado and they would take a 339 00:19:29,160 --> 00:19:33,320 Speaker 1: snapshot right of you the computer in the call center. Yeah, 340 00:19:33,359 --> 00:19:34,719 Speaker 1: so when you get to the window to pick up 341 00:19:34,720 --> 00:19:36,560 Speaker 1: your food, they see a photo and they say, well, 342 00:19:36,600 --> 00:19:39,359 Speaker 1: this is that that Chuck guy. He's all tubby in 343 00:19:39,400 --> 00:19:41,680 Speaker 1: his front seat and he's salivating for a big Max. 344 00:19:41,680 --> 00:19:43,639 Speaker 1: So here's your big Mac. And then they say that 345 00:19:43,680 --> 00:19:46,960 Speaker 1: the picture is destroyed. But that is what they say, 346 00:19:47,359 --> 00:19:53,720 Speaker 1: because I wondered about that destroyed. Uh. Yeah, So this 347 00:19:54,000 --> 00:19:56,960 Speaker 1: McDonald's is with I think because of as much money 348 00:19:56,960 --> 00:19:59,880 Speaker 1: as the company has, it's long been on the cutting edge, 349 00:20:00,119 --> 00:20:03,760 Speaker 1: like new technology, anything anything that can be used to 350 00:20:04,119 --> 00:20:08,040 Speaker 1: um cut down costs. McDonald's is into Yeah. Absolutely, And 351 00:20:08,080 --> 00:20:13,000 Speaker 1: they're also into believe this or not, cleanliness. Yeah, Ray Croc, 352 00:20:13,119 --> 00:20:15,760 Speaker 1: they said, was like obsessed with being clean. I got 353 00:20:15,760 --> 00:20:18,160 Speaker 1: the impression here was a tatto c d. Maybe. Well. 354 00:20:18,280 --> 00:20:20,600 Speaker 1: My my theory is, and I worked in the restaurant business. 355 00:20:20,640 --> 00:20:23,159 Speaker 1: You can never have a restaurant that's too clean, So 356 00:20:23,240 --> 00:20:26,680 Speaker 1: I appreciate his dedication to cleanliness. Apparently, like to say, 357 00:20:26,680 --> 00:20:28,439 Speaker 1: if you've got time to lean, you've got time to 358 00:20:28,480 --> 00:20:31,199 Speaker 1: clean and anytime somebody said that to me after they 359 00:20:31,200 --> 00:20:35,879 Speaker 1: turned around and be like, yeah, given the old high 360 00:20:35,880 --> 00:20:39,120 Speaker 1: hard one. Sure you know there's a lot of leaning 361 00:20:39,119 --> 00:20:41,640 Speaker 1: in the McDonald's around my neighborhood. Actually, yeah, I think 362 00:20:41,680 --> 00:20:45,600 Speaker 1: there are most of them. But uh, even that apparently 363 00:20:45,680 --> 00:20:48,160 Speaker 1: is a step up. As far as McDonald's and other 364 00:20:48,200 --> 00:20:53,119 Speaker 1: countries go, McDonald's is widely credited for changing the standards 365 00:20:53,160 --> 00:20:56,760 Speaker 1: in the industry, the restaurant industry for bathroom cleanliness in 366 00:20:56,800 --> 00:21:00,880 Speaker 1: Hong Kong, yeah you know that. Yeah, and uh Thailand, 367 00:21:01,000 --> 00:21:05,000 Speaker 1: social um social interaction, because apparently in Hong Kong there 368 00:21:05,119 --> 00:21:08,240 Speaker 1: was never such a thing as like organized lines to 369 00:21:08,280 --> 00:21:10,960 Speaker 1: stand in line and get something. So they were literally 370 00:21:10,960 --> 00:21:13,600 Speaker 1: forced to stand in line for the first time to 371 00:21:13,600 --> 00:21:16,439 Speaker 1: to complete their order. So some say that it brought 372 00:21:16,480 --> 00:21:20,439 Speaker 1: some social graces and organization to these kind of chaotic scenes. 373 00:21:21,359 --> 00:21:22,879 Speaker 1: And you know what, I believe that because when I 374 00:21:22,920 --> 00:21:25,600 Speaker 1: looked in l a, I would always get muscled in 375 00:21:25,720 --> 00:21:28,520 Speaker 1: on by a little Asian women and they used to 376 00:21:28,560 --> 00:21:30,040 Speaker 1: bother me. Then I was like, you know what, I 377 00:21:30,080 --> 00:21:32,800 Speaker 1: bet you in their country, you're fighting to get in 378 00:21:33,000 --> 00:21:35,679 Speaker 1: position to get your you know, whatever's in the market. 379 00:21:35,760 --> 00:21:38,000 Speaker 1: So it's exactly what they want you to think. I 380 00:21:38,080 --> 00:21:41,320 Speaker 1: opened was that I was duped into being kind. I 381 00:21:41,480 --> 00:21:44,120 Speaker 1: was like, I understand, cut in front of me. That's fine, exactly. 382 00:21:44,160 --> 00:21:47,119 Speaker 1: Here you go, lady, welcome to the US. Right. What 383 00:21:47,240 --> 00:21:50,719 Speaker 1: a sucker, Chuck? What's your favorite menu? Ita at McDonald's 384 00:21:51,680 --> 00:21:55,719 Speaker 1: answer me, I'm gonna go with the the hangover Helper 385 00:21:55,920 --> 00:22:00,639 Speaker 1: double quarter pounder with cheese, mayonnaise only at French fries 386 00:22:00,680 --> 00:22:03,280 Speaker 1: on top, and smush it all together mayonnaise only, no 387 00:22:03,400 --> 00:22:06,920 Speaker 1: catchup or mustard. I don't do that stuff. Pickles onions. 388 00:22:08,000 --> 00:22:10,080 Speaker 1: You gotta have the sesame seed bun though, So you 389 00:22:10,119 --> 00:22:14,760 Speaker 1: have a bun of burger cheese, burger bun with mayonnaise 390 00:22:14,760 --> 00:22:18,120 Speaker 1: and French fries. Yeah, okay, I don't think that appears 391 00:22:18,119 --> 00:22:21,320 Speaker 1: on the menu. Really. Oh that's the Chuck special. I'm 392 00:22:21,320 --> 00:22:23,760 Speaker 1: a straight up double cheese burger guy. Yeah, those are good. 393 00:22:24,280 --> 00:22:26,080 Speaker 1: But we can talk a little bit about the history 394 00:22:26,119 --> 00:22:27,920 Speaker 1: of a few of their menu items because I find 395 00:22:27,920 --> 00:22:30,239 Speaker 1: it kind of interesting too. That's why I asked you. 396 00:22:30,400 --> 00:22:33,000 Speaker 1: The filet of fish was born in the nineteen sixties 397 00:22:33,480 --> 00:22:36,240 Speaker 1: because at the time we had really great Catholics in 398 00:22:36,280 --> 00:22:39,199 Speaker 1: America who had abstained from eating meat on Friday, and 399 00:22:39,280 --> 00:22:42,280 Speaker 1: Ray Kroc was like, uh, we got lagging sails on 400 00:22:42,320 --> 00:22:45,439 Speaker 1: Friday because all these Catholics, can I we invent something 401 00:22:45,440 --> 00:22:47,840 Speaker 1: here to to make up for the sales, right, And 402 00:22:48,119 --> 00:22:52,000 Speaker 1: they were losing sales to places like Big Boy. I 403 00:22:52,080 --> 00:22:55,760 Speaker 1: love Big Boy. Um. Sure. And the reason why they 404 00:22:55,760 --> 00:22:59,320 Speaker 1: were losing it these sales was because these places had 405 00:22:59,640 --> 00:23:03,159 Speaker 1: a she alternative. So Ray Kroc comes up with the 406 00:23:03,240 --> 00:23:07,119 Speaker 1: brilliant idea and it is the hula burger, right, which 407 00:23:07,280 --> 00:23:11,000 Speaker 1: was a slice of pineapple instead of meat on a button. Yeah. 408 00:23:11,280 --> 00:23:13,240 Speaker 1: Not a very good idea, No, it wasn't. But luckily 409 00:23:13,320 --> 00:23:16,159 Speaker 1: by this time McDonald's corporation was smart enough to know 410 00:23:16,200 --> 00:23:21,080 Speaker 1: that they needed to test menu items first. Um. And 411 00:23:21,160 --> 00:23:23,520 Speaker 1: they tested it. But at the same time they tested 412 00:23:23,920 --> 00:23:27,320 Speaker 1: another item called the filet of fish, Yes, which was 413 00:23:27,560 --> 00:23:29,600 Speaker 1: I thought, I think thought up by a franchise z 414 00:23:29,760 --> 00:23:32,920 Speaker 1: correct Lou Growing and he thought of it and put 415 00:23:32,960 --> 00:23:35,320 Speaker 1: it on his menu, which McDonald said, that's cool. Let's 416 00:23:35,320 --> 00:23:37,760 Speaker 1: see how it goes. And it went over like gangbusters, 417 00:23:37,840 --> 00:23:40,120 Speaker 1: and uh, they said, you know what, We're gonna add 418 00:23:40,119 --> 00:23:42,320 Speaker 1: this to our national menu. Yeah. So a franchise e 419 00:23:42,440 --> 00:23:45,960 Speaker 1: beat out the CEO and chairman of McDonald's Corporation. That's 420 00:23:45,960 --> 00:23:47,720 Speaker 1: something that well, that means you' smart enough to listen 421 00:23:47,760 --> 00:23:49,600 Speaker 1: to him as well. Yeah, well, I think that's kind 422 00:23:49,600 --> 00:23:52,320 Speaker 1: of a recurring theme. It seems like Ray Croc surrounded 423 00:23:52,400 --> 00:23:55,600 Speaker 1: himself with people who were smart and sharp, but also 424 00:23:55,680 --> 00:23:58,159 Speaker 1: he listened to him and when they were, you know, 425 00:23:58,240 --> 00:24:00,560 Speaker 1: milling about the office, he'd make them push a broom 426 00:24:00,640 --> 00:24:02,639 Speaker 1: or something when they were walking down the hall. If 427 00:24:02,680 --> 00:24:05,239 Speaker 1: you're too busy to lean, you're too busy to clean. Now, 428 00:24:06,119 --> 00:24:08,359 Speaker 1: if you got time to lean, you get time to clean. 429 00:24:09,040 --> 00:24:11,960 Speaker 1: And the Big Mac two had similar origins. It was 430 00:24:12,000 --> 00:24:15,600 Speaker 1: a franchisees idea out of the Pittsburgh area, right yeah, 431 00:24:15,600 --> 00:24:18,680 Speaker 1: which is key I think to its success. Uh yeah, yeah, 432 00:24:18,800 --> 00:24:20,400 Speaker 1: the fact that it was in Pittsburgh and it wasn't 433 00:24:20,400 --> 00:24:22,719 Speaker 1: in like, you know, Los Angeles. Very health conscious Los 434 00:24:22,760 --> 00:24:27,400 Speaker 1: Angeles seventies though was LA has always been that way. 435 00:24:27,920 --> 00:24:32,000 Speaker 1: Jim Delegatti, who was invented the Big Mac, which we 436 00:24:32,080 --> 00:24:35,760 Speaker 1: all know is to all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, 437 00:24:35,800 --> 00:24:38,800 Speaker 1: onion on a seed bun with the third bun there 438 00:24:38,800 --> 00:24:41,320 Speaker 1: in the middle, which is key to just keep it 439 00:24:41,359 --> 00:24:45,760 Speaker 1: all together. Evidently, so people in Pittsburgh said this is awesome, 440 00:24:46,400 --> 00:24:48,600 Speaker 1: and Ray Croc said, Okay, we're gonna add this to 441 00:24:48,640 --> 00:24:52,919 Speaker 1: our menu. Right. It actually became their signature sandwich. Yeah, 442 00:24:53,000 --> 00:24:55,080 Speaker 1: isn't that crazy? Yeah? And I find it odd that 443 00:24:55,280 --> 00:24:58,080 Speaker 1: earlier we mentioned that the McDonald brothers opened up their 444 00:24:58,160 --> 00:24:59,920 Speaker 1: other restaurant once their name was taken. It was called 445 00:24:59,920 --> 00:25:03,320 Speaker 1: The Big Might. Apparently there's no connection there, but it 446 00:25:03,320 --> 00:25:05,399 Speaker 1: seems all hanky to me. The Big Mac in the 447 00:25:05,440 --> 00:25:09,040 Speaker 1: Big Um. Huh. Well I hadn't made that connection, really, Yeah, 448 00:25:09,400 --> 00:25:11,200 Speaker 1: what do you think? No, I'll tell you what I think. 449 00:25:11,200 --> 00:25:13,600 Speaker 1: I think Big Mac is a reference to truck drivers 450 00:25:13,640 --> 00:25:15,840 Speaker 1: and big guys who would eat a sandwich like that, 451 00:25:16,040 --> 00:25:19,920 Speaker 1: which is actually kind of daring because you're almost automatically 452 00:25:19,920 --> 00:25:25,680 Speaker 1: cutting out your female customers, you know, the big or 453 00:25:26,000 --> 00:25:28,280 Speaker 1: petite Mac. Maybe it would have been a better name 454 00:25:28,359 --> 00:25:32,240 Speaker 1: for it, whichever you like. Uh, and Chuck, you mentioned 455 00:25:32,240 --> 00:25:36,199 Speaker 1: the McDonald's brothers in their original um restaurant. Well they 456 00:25:36,280 --> 00:25:38,560 Speaker 1: kept selling hot dogs for a while, right, Yeah? Yeah, 457 00:25:38,560 --> 00:25:41,080 Speaker 1: why didn't McDonald's sell hot dogs? Do you want to know? 458 00:25:41,960 --> 00:25:45,080 Speaker 1: Because Ray Kroc felt that the mystery meats and I 459 00:25:45,160 --> 00:25:48,359 Speaker 1: just made air quotes put into hot dogs. Uh didn't 460 00:25:48,400 --> 00:25:52,000 Speaker 1: fit or live up to McDonald's standards. So no more 461 00:25:52,000 --> 00:25:54,240 Speaker 1: hot dogs. Nope, and you've never even though you have 462 00:25:54,480 --> 00:25:56,840 Speaker 1: pure I'll be Frank's now. Of course, I'm sure you 463 00:25:56,840 --> 00:25:59,960 Speaker 1: did back then. I still won't find one out of spy. 464 00:26:00,480 --> 00:26:04,600 Speaker 1: That's my idea. Uh Josh. Flash forward to ninety three 465 00:26:05,280 --> 00:26:10,080 Speaker 1: when my favorite McDonald's menu item all times. Oh yeah, 466 00:26:10,119 --> 00:26:14,400 Speaker 1: we are talking clearly about the circular broken yolk egg 467 00:26:14,440 --> 00:26:17,560 Speaker 1: with cheese Canadian bacon on an English muffin, which in 468 00:26:17,600 --> 00:26:20,600 Speaker 1: Canada they just call it bacon, right, a k a. 469 00:26:20,840 --> 00:26:25,600 Speaker 1: The egg McMuffin. And another franchise e heard Peterson operated 470 00:26:25,640 --> 00:26:29,199 Speaker 1: six McDonald's. He um. He actually came up with the 471 00:26:29,280 --> 00:26:33,400 Speaker 1: first national ad slogan where quality starts fresh every day. 472 00:26:33,640 --> 00:26:35,840 Speaker 1: Convinced Ray Crock to try it out. He loved it, 473 00:26:36,119 --> 00:26:38,520 Speaker 1: And then they got into the breakfast business, right, and 474 00:26:38,600 --> 00:26:42,119 Speaker 1: they debuted it with another McDonald land character named Bertie 475 00:26:42,280 --> 00:26:45,520 Speaker 1: the Early Bird. I remember that. Yeah, let's remember Bertie. 476 00:26:45,520 --> 00:26:48,000 Speaker 1: She was the She was clearly a female. She had 477 00:26:48,040 --> 00:26:50,639 Speaker 1: like a orange flight suit and a scarf and flying. 478 00:26:52,680 --> 00:26:54,960 Speaker 1: Remember that. And we got one more to talk about 479 00:26:55,000 --> 00:26:57,919 Speaker 1: you can't talk about McDonald's without the chicken McNugget. And 480 00:26:57,960 --> 00:27:01,000 Speaker 1: actually remember this one clearly because I was right at 481 00:27:01,040 --> 00:27:05,760 Speaker 1: the age, yeah, twelve years old, jerke Uh. This was 482 00:27:06,400 --> 00:27:09,440 Speaker 1: actually thought of by a CEO, which was which was 483 00:27:09,560 --> 00:27:13,119 Speaker 1: rare because usually the franchisees uh owners were coming up 484 00:27:13,160 --> 00:27:15,640 Speaker 1: with these. Fred Turner was the chairman, and he put 485 00:27:15,640 --> 00:27:18,640 Speaker 1: out a request and said, you know what, he commissioned it. 486 00:27:18,720 --> 00:27:21,639 Speaker 1: I love the quote. He commissioned a chicken finger food 487 00:27:21,680 --> 00:27:25,760 Speaker 1: without bones. About the size of your thumb. Pretty specific. 488 00:27:26,240 --> 00:27:28,560 Speaker 1: So they came back here. It is sort of even 489 00:27:28,600 --> 00:27:31,120 Speaker 1: looks like a thumb a little bit. And now now 490 00:27:31,480 --> 00:27:33,800 Speaker 1: that I see it, it's gonna be tough to eat them. Yeah. 491 00:27:33,800 --> 00:27:35,400 Speaker 1: I used to eat those. Oh, I used to eat 492 00:27:35,440 --> 00:27:38,680 Speaker 1: them like crazy. Not anymore, nothing but barbecue sauce. I 493 00:27:38,720 --> 00:27:41,240 Speaker 1: would do a mix of the barbecue in the sweeten summer. Yeah, 494 00:27:41,280 --> 00:27:44,000 Speaker 1: it's a good mix, it is. So we need to 495 00:27:44,000 --> 00:27:47,120 Speaker 1: talk about a little bit of criticism, right, oh yeah, 496 00:27:47,160 --> 00:27:48,600 Speaker 1: and the good that they do. We'll follow with the 497 00:27:48,600 --> 00:27:51,119 Speaker 1: good that they do. Well. You know, Devo is not 498 00:27:51,200 --> 00:27:55,960 Speaker 1: the only people who have filed lawsuit against McDonald's. Neither 499 00:27:56,000 --> 00:27:59,560 Speaker 1: are sid and Marty Croft, right, and it goes both ways. 500 00:28:00,119 --> 00:28:03,800 Speaker 1: McDonald's has been known to follow a lawsuit or two right, specifically, 501 00:28:03,920 --> 00:28:08,879 Speaker 1: probably most famously against green Peace. Yeah, the McLibel case. Yeah, 502 00:28:09,000 --> 00:28:11,879 Speaker 1: did you read the McLibel pamphlet? Uh No, not the 503 00:28:11,920 --> 00:28:13,879 Speaker 1: actual pamphlet, but I kind of know what it's all about. 504 00:28:13,960 --> 00:28:16,960 Speaker 1: It's a little broad, in my opinion to have drummed 505 00:28:17,040 --> 00:28:20,240 Speaker 1: up that much ire and anger. But in the mid 506 00:28:20,280 --> 00:28:25,439 Speaker 1: eighties to London, green Peace members um basically started printing 507 00:28:25,480 --> 00:28:27,720 Speaker 1: pamphlets and I guess what it was was at the time, 508 00:28:27,760 --> 00:28:30,040 Speaker 1: nobody was talking about this stuff, and maybe they were 509 00:28:30,080 --> 00:28:33,840 Speaker 1: the first, like about cutting down rainforest for grazing land 510 00:28:33,840 --> 00:28:38,440 Speaker 1: for cattle, that McDonald's was using, um any humane practices 511 00:28:38,480 --> 00:28:43,520 Speaker 1: of killing the cattle, um, exploiting workers, that kind of stuff. 512 00:28:43,520 --> 00:28:46,280 Speaker 1: I guess now they think about it. It's so ingrained 513 00:28:46,320 --> 00:28:50,000 Speaker 1: into our culture now, awareness like that that maybe in 514 00:28:50,080 --> 00:28:53,760 Speaker 1: the mid eighties it just totally wasn't. Yeah, and it 515 00:28:53,840 --> 00:28:56,360 Speaker 1: got McDonald's attention to because they sued these people and 516 00:28:56,360 --> 00:28:59,760 Speaker 1: they won. They won because they these guys who put 517 00:28:59,760 --> 00:29:03,280 Speaker 1: out the pamphlet couldn't back up everything that they stayed 518 00:29:03,280 --> 00:29:05,880 Speaker 1: in the pamphlet with facts. Do you know why? Because 519 00:29:05,920 --> 00:29:08,760 Speaker 1: they were they were poor, and they worked for Green Peace, 520 00:29:08,880 --> 00:29:12,840 Speaker 1: and they defended themselves. So these two acted as their 521 00:29:12,880 --> 00:29:18,440 Speaker 1: own lawyers, and McDonald's lawyers buried them. They wouldn't give them, um, 522 00:29:18,480 --> 00:29:21,959 Speaker 1: you know, documents that they asked for. They buried him 523 00:29:22,000 --> 00:29:26,280 Speaker 1: in procedural stuff, um and and one. But at the 524 00:29:26,320 --> 00:29:28,880 Speaker 1: same time, these two people and Green Piece as a 525 00:29:28,880 --> 00:29:32,400 Speaker 1: whole are just doing as much pr as they can 526 00:29:32,480 --> 00:29:35,640 Speaker 1: about the case. McDonald's just took a huge hit. That 527 00:29:35,760 --> 00:29:38,280 Speaker 1: was probably the first real turning point as far as 528 00:29:38,360 --> 00:29:41,600 Speaker 1: McDonald's image goes. Yeah, where it wasn't just like McDonald's 529 00:29:41,640 --> 00:29:43,560 Speaker 1: is the greatest thing ever, right, And people started to 530 00:29:43,600 --> 00:29:46,240 Speaker 1: really kind of pay attention to like, wait a minute, 531 00:29:46,120 --> 00:29:49,600 Speaker 1: where donald said Ronald McDonald said he loved my child. 532 00:29:49,640 --> 00:29:53,240 Speaker 1: What do you mean he really just wants profits, you know? Yeah. Yeah, 533 00:29:53,680 --> 00:29:57,280 Speaker 1: And they were famously sued in the nineties with, um, 534 00:29:57,360 --> 00:30:00,240 Speaker 1: the hot coffee that's spilled on the old lady's lap. Yeah, 535 00:30:00,240 --> 00:30:02,720 Speaker 1: And I always thought that was just, like, uh, um, 536 00:30:02,760 --> 00:30:05,960 Speaker 1: an example of how we need tort reform. I didn't 537 00:30:06,000 --> 00:30:09,280 Speaker 1: realize why the woman was awarded the money she got. 538 00:30:09,320 --> 00:30:11,560 Speaker 1: Third degree burns in her crotch and was in the 539 00:30:11,600 --> 00:30:14,800 Speaker 1: hospital for eight days. Right. But the reason that the 540 00:30:14,920 --> 00:30:17,040 Speaker 1: jury awarded her such a huge amount it was in 541 00:30:17,120 --> 00:30:20,960 Speaker 1: the tens of millions, I think, right. Uh, it just said, well, 542 00:30:21,000 --> 00:30:23,120 Speaker 1: I don't know how much it was specifically, but compensatory 543 00:30:23,200 --> 00:30:25,440 Speaker 1: and puneted damage. It was a lot of money, and 544 00:30:25,520 --> 00:30:28,440 Speaker 1: it was for spilling coffee on her her crotch. But 545 00:30:28,520 --> 00:30:31,600 Speaker 1: the reason that the jury awarded her such so much money, um, 546 00:30:31,760 --> 00:30:35,600 Speaker 1: was because McDonald's was well aware of the problem and 547 00:30:35,840 --> 00:30:38,480 Speaker 1: uh for had for many years received hundreds of complaints 548 00:30:38,480 --> 00:30:40,480 Speaker 1: but just didn't do anything about it that their coffee 549 00:30:40,520 --> 00:30:43,400 Speaker 1: was too hot. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And then Josh and 550 00:30:43,480 --> 00:30:47,320 Speaker 1: the nineties again McDonald's took a bold move and came 551 00:30:47,320 --> 00:30:49,840 Speaker 1: out and said, you know what, We're no longer going 552 00:30:49,920 --> 00:30:52,800 Speaker 1: to cook our French fries and bee fat even though 553 00:30:52,840 --> 00:30:56,720 Speaker 1: it's so good, I know, do you remember the change? Yeah, 554 00:30:56,760 --> 00:30:58,840 Speaker 1: and we're gonna cook it in vegetable oil. So that 555 00:30:58,880 --> 00:31:02,600 Speaker 1: was their big announcement. And then this sort of implied 556 00:31:02,640 --> 00:31:05,160 Speaker 1: in a way that they were vegetarian fries because it's 557 00:31:05,200 --> 00:31:08,480 Speaker 1: just potatoes cooked and vegetable oil. Not true, because they 558 00:31:08,520 --> 00:31:15,640 Speaker 1: contain beef flavoring and uh sued so Hindus obviously had 559 00:31:16,000 --> 00:31:19,040 Speaker 1: vegetarians had a big problem with us. But McDonald's very 560 00:31:19,080 --> 00:31:21,960 Speaker 1: fairly said, hey man, we never said that these were 561 00:31:22,040 --> 00:31:24,920 Speaker 1: vegetarian fries, but we'll pay up anyway. They ponied up 562 00:31:24,960 --> 00:31:28,040 Speaker 1: like ten million bucks in an apology. And that's what 563 00:31:28,080 --> 00:31:30,120 Speaker 1: you do when you got deep pockets. Oh yeah, you 564 00:31:30,200 --> 00:31:33,120 Speaker 1: pay up a little bit, apologize, it goes away, and 565 00:31:33,200 --> 00:31:35,560 Speaker 1: the next person the line steps up to suit you. Right, 566 00:31:36,000 --> 00:31:38,320 Speaker 1: But then in the meantime, five million people step up 567 00:31:38,360 --> 00:31:42,360 Speaker 1: in line to order a double cheeseburger. Yeah, absolutely, and 568 00:31:42,440 --> 00:31:45,000 Speaker 1: that pays for everything. A couple of more big, high 569 00:31:45,040 --> 00:31:48,200 Speaker 1: profile things. That was the book Fast Food Nation that 570 00:31:48,640 --> 00:31:56,400 Speaker 1: charged McDonald's with globalization and uh anti union tactics. Yeah, 571 00:31:56,440 --> 00:31:59,080 Speaker 1: stuff like that. Yeah, and that that was also mentioned 572 00:31:59,120 --> 00:32:02,440 Speaker 1: in the McLibel pamphlet. They were um that they only 573 00:32:02,600 --> 00:32:06,320 Speaker 1: use or only employee workers who are basically down on 574 00:32:06,360 --> 00:32:09,880 Speaker 1: their luck, have nothing to have, have no alternatives. They 575 00:32:10,360 --> 00:32:13,240 Speaker 1: they overwork them, they exploited them, so there's high turnover, 576 00:32:13,360 --> 00:32:17,800 Speaker 1: so there's no chance of unions or unionizing among McDonald's employees. 577 00:32:18,520 --> 00:32:21,760 Speaker 1: And then Morgan Spurlock, of course with the film Supersized Me. 578 00:32:21,840 --> 00:32:24,960 Speaker 1: The documentary famously went on a thirty day diet of 579 00:32:25,000 --> 00:32:28,360 Speaker 1: nothing but McDonald's and no exercise and almost died. And 580 00:32:28,440 --> 00:32:30,440 Speaker 1: did you watch it now? I've never seen it. It 581 00:32:30,520 --> 00:32:33,120 Speaker 1: was entertaining and he he does like McDonald's was in 582 00:32:33,120 --> 00:32:37,640 Speaker 1: the firing uh scope, But he was making a statement 583 00:32:37,640 --> 00:32:39,800 Speaker 1: about the fact that, you know, when we were kids, 584 00:32:39,840 --> 00:32:43,080 Speaker 1: a large drink was like eighteen ounces, and now you 585 00:32:43,080 --> 00:32:45,720 Speaker 1: can get like a seventy two ounce soda. Do we 586 00:32:45,800 --> 00:32:49,840 Speaker 1: really need that? Right? And actually that had some uh, 587 00:32:49,920 --> 00:32:53,160 Speaker 1: some big effects I guess in McDonald's, like they took 588 00:32:53,200 --> 00:32:57,440 Speaker 1: their supersize option off of their menu, like right after 589 00:32:57,520 --> 00:32:59,920 Speaker 1: the film was screened at Sundance. Yeah, they went pro 590 00:33:00,040 --> 00:33:02,680 Speaker 1: active on this one big time, which was pretty smart. 591 00:33:02,880 --> 00:33:06,120 Speaker 1: And actually I guess it's not that much action, but 592 00:33:06,240 --> 00:33:09,080 Speaker 1: still it was a big deal. A little indie filmmaker 593 00:33:09,160 --> 00:33:12,160 Speaker 1: got them to change their menu so instead of supersize 594 00:33:12,240 --> 00:33:17,120 Speaker 1: is now called large. Um chuck was Fast Food Nation 595 00:33:17,240 --> 00:33:20,720 Speaker 1: turned into food Ink? The movie is that? Is the 596 00:33:20,760 --> 00:33:23,320 Speaker 1: movie Food Ink based on Fast Food Nation. No, there 597 00:33:23,400 --> 00:33:25,800 Speaker 1: is a movie Fast Food Nation as well that Richard 598 00:33:25,840 --> 00:33:30,720 Speaker 1: link Lender did. No, you're thinking of waking life. Okay, 599 00:33:31,960 --> 00:33:34,680 Speaker 1: we should also probably say that there's some some good 600 00:33:34,920 --> 00:33:39,240 Speaker 1: that this company has done, aside from making great greasy hamburgers, 601 00:33:39,720 --> 00:33:42,360 Speaker 1: which I do love. I don't even Donald's much, but 602 00:33:42,480 --> 00:33:45,320 Speaker 1: boy is it good. Obviously, first and foremost, you've got 603 00:33:45,360 --> 00:33:48,800 Speaker 1: the Ronald McDonald House. Right, great, great organization. What do 604 00:33:48,880 --> 00:33:52,680 Speaker 1: they do Well? If you have a kid who is 605 00:33:52,720 --> 00:33:57,280 Speaker 1: in the hospital a lot um, especially out of state, uh, 606 00:33:57,400 --> 00:34:00,960 Speaker 1: seeing a specialist, and you're family needs to be there 607 00:34:01,000 --> 00:34:03,200 Speaker 1: to support the kid, but you don't really have enough 608 00:34:03,280 --> 00:34:07,320 Speaker 1: for a six month hostels stay. There are houses around 609 00:34:07,360 --> 00:34:10,680 Speaker 1: the country called Ronald McDonald Houses that your family can 610 00:34:10,760 --> 00:34:13,719 Speaker 1: go stay out for free or next to nothing, that 611 00:34:13,760 --> 00:34:16,440 Speaker 1: are close to these hospitals, children's hospitals, so you can 612 00:34:16,480 --> 00:34:18,680 Speaker 1: be near your kid and have to fly back and 613 00:34:18,760 --> 00:34:22,319 Speaker 1: forth or you know, lose your job that kind of thing. Right. Uh. 614 00:34:22,360 --> 00:34:24,760 Speaker 1: They also, like we said, have been charged with globalization, 615 00:34:24,880 --> 00:34:27,480 Speaker 1: and they will counter that. No, no, no. When we 616 00:34:27,520 --> 00:34:31,320 Speaker 1: go to these countries, we have cultural specific menu items, 617 00:34:31,719 --> 00:34:33,520 Speaker 1: and that's very true. There's we have I think an 618 00:34:33,600 --> 00:34:36,400 Speaker 1: article about wacky McDonald's menu items from around the world, 619 00:34:37,040 --> 00:34:39,600 Speaker 1: and uh, we actually try and incorporate the local culture 620 00:34:39,640 --> 00:34:43,239 Speaker 1: into our menu instead of just forcing this American thing 621 00:34:43,280 --> 00:34:46,120 Speaker 1: down their throat. That's what they say, right, And if 622 00:34:46,160 --> 00:34:49,239 Speaker 1: you uh, there's a picture actually of a pair of 623 00:34:49,400 --> 00:34:53,600 Speaker 1: um McDonald's workers in India. Um, and there's the Maharajah 624 00:34:53,640 --> 00:34:57,120 Speaker 1: Mac and the vegetable burger with cheese, both of which 625 00:34:57,640 --> 00:35:00,359 Speaker 1: I imagine are cooked without beef since in he is 626 00:35:00,560 --> 00:35:04,399 Speaker 1: kind of big on the cow worship, right. I don't 627 00:35:04,400 --> 00:35:06,759 Speaker 1: think that they that McDonald's wild go over very well 628 00:35:06,800 --> 00:35:10,560 Speaker 1: if you walked into one and in Mumbai and hey, 629 00:35:10,640 --> 00:35:12,839 Speaker 1: here's one of your gods right here on the menu. Yeah, 630 00:35:12,880 --> 00:35:15,719 Speaker 1: they've taken beef off the men either. Right. So this 631 00:35:15,760 --> 00:35:19,360 Speaker 1: is a perfect example of the good that McDonald's does. Yes, 632 00:35:19,520 --> 00:35:23,440 Speaker 1: there's good. It's called glocalization. You're taking a multinational but 633 00:35:23,719 --> 00:35:28,799 Speaker 1: um you know, very culturally specific company and adjusting it 634 00:35:28,840 --> 00:35:33,200 Speaker 1: as needed locally. Colocalization is great. But the thing is 635 00:35:33,200 --> 00:35:37,160 Speaker 1: is when it's so disingenuous when people put that point out, 636 00:35:37,640 --> 00:35:41,719 Speaker 1: because of course McDonald's isn't going to serve hamburgers in 637 00:35:41,719 --> 00:35:45,080 Speaker 1: India because they want to exactly. So, yeah, they're going 638 00:35:45,120 --> 00:35:48,680 Speaker 1: to adjust their menu to reflect local values because without that, 639 00:35:48,760 --> 00:35:51,359 Speaker 1: no one's gonna buy it, Josh, I know we're kind 640 00:35:51,360 --> 00:35:53,359 Speaker 1: of short on time. There's some more stuff we gotta 641 00:35:53,360 --> 00:35:56,240 Speaker 1: stick in here, though. Uh, we need to talk about 642 00:35:56,239 --> 00:35:58,400 Speaker 1: the mcnoggan. Did you ever see that they fried a 643 00:35:58,480 --> 00:36:02,680 Speaker 1: chicken head? What? Yeah, I'll show you a picture. This 644 00:36:02,800 --> 00:36:05,920 Speaker 1: lady purportedly gotten her box of McDonald's chicken wings or 645 00:36:05,920 --> 00:36:08,600 Speaker 1: fried chicken wing head and it. You know, it's exactly 646 00:36:08,640 --> 00:36:10,520 Speaker 1: what it looks like, but it is. Snopes has said 647 00:36:10,560 --> 00:36:15,600 Speaker 1: that it has not been verified and or disproven. Yeah, 648 00:36:15,640 --> 00:36:17,960 Speaker 1: you gotta see it. It's really funny and uh so 649 00:36:18,040 --> 00:36:20,480 Speaker 1: because she has refused to turn it over for inspection 650 00:36:20,600 --> 00:36:22,319 Speaker 1: and so it's just kind of still floating out there. 651 00:36:22,400 --> 00:36:24,239 Speaker 1: It was like ten years ago, so I'm sure it's 652 00:36:24,280 --> 00:36:27,520 Speaker 1: gone away by now. Um. Did you ever hear the 653 00:36:27,600 --> 00:36:31,560 Speaker 1: rumor about the cow's eyeballs? Yeah, in the shekes not 654 00:36:31,640 --> 00:36:35,800 Speaker 1: true as far as we know. Uh. The My favorite 655 00:36:35,880 --> 00:36:38,840 Speaker 1: McDonald's staying is um in Los Angeles. WO worked in 656 00:36:38,880 --> 00:36:42,000 Speaker 1: the film business and we shoot most McDonald's commercials are 657 00:36:42,000 --> 00:36:45,040 Speaker 1: shot at this one fake store in l A whole 658 00:36:45,080 --> 00:36:47,760 Speaker 1: thing is on wheels, not literally the building, but everything 659 00:36:47,760 --> 00:36:49,960 Speaker 1: in there's on wheels. It's got lights all rigged. It's 660 00:36:49,960 --> 00:36:52,319 Speaker 1: all faults. And every day when you shoot there, they 661 00:36:52,360 --> 00:36:55,719 Speaker 1: have four o'clock fries. A fourlock, the production stops and 662 00:36:55,760 --> 00:36:59,000 Speaker 1: they bring out like fifty large fries for everyone to 663 00:36:59,080 --> 00:37:03,080 Speaker 1: just chow dout on. So it is a functioning McDonald's. Yeah, 664 00:37:03,200 --> 00:37:05,239 Speaker 1: but it's not. It's not a functioning restaurant. But you 665 00:37:05,320 --> 00:37:07,120 Speaker 1: gotta be able to fake the cooking and all that stuff. 666 00:37:08,239 --> 00:37:10,200 Speaker 1: That's awesome. And you worked there, we need to tell 667 00:37:10,280 --> 00:37:13,279 Speaker 1: that real quick. I worked there for an hour. I 668 00:37:13,320 --> 00:37:15,680 Speaker 1: worked there for a few weeks. I worked there for 669 00:37:15,719 --> 00:37:18,560 Speaker 1: one hour. I went in the training and in the basement, 670 00:37:19,440 --> 00:37:21,840 Speaker 1: and they gave me my like, took my uniform size, 671 00:37:21,880 --> 00:37:24,239 Speaker 1: showed me the little video, told me to clock in 672 00:37:24,320 --> 00:37:25,759 Speaker 1: and out, and I was like, all right, you start 673 00:37:25,760 --> 00:37:27,839 Speaker 1: in the morning at like four am. And the next 674 00:37:27,880 --> 00:37:29,560 Speaker 1: morning I was in Athens and the alarm went off 675 00:37:29,600 --> 00:37:32,440 Speaker 1: and I went, I can't do this. Yeah, good for you. 676 00:37:32,600 --> 00:37:34,200 Speaker 1: Never went back, never catch my check. So I gotta 677 00:37:34,239 --> 00:37:36,319 Speaker 1: check out there with my name on it. Oh, really, 678 00:37:36,320 --> 00:37:38,279 Speaker 1: you should get that for like four or fifty or something. 679 00:37:40,800 --> 00:37:43,160 Speaker 1: And Josh, we can not. We would be remiss if 680 00:37:43,200 --> 00:37:45,600 Speaker 1: we didn't talk about some of our famous cohorts who 681 00:37:45,600 --> 00:37:50,520 Speaker 1: have worked at McDonald's. Okay, and they are as follows 682 00:37:50,520 --> 00:37:57,479 Speaker 1: A Chuck, Shania Twain, Sharon Stone. Yeah, ja the rat 683 00:37:57,600 --> 00:38:02,200 Speaker 1: leno Really, I mean Cocoa's Corner, I mean Camp Cocoa. 684 00:38:02,880 --> 00:38:05,880 Speaker 1: Pink and Pink had a quote, she says, quote, I 685 00:38:05,880 --> 00:38:08,440 Speaker 1: would open the restaurant because I'd be tripping on acid, 686 00:38:08,920 --> 00:38:10,879 Speaker 1: and I would say, could I have a bathroom duty? 687 00:38:10,920 --> 00:38:13,000 Speaker 1: And I would sit in the bathroom and watch the tiles. 688 00:38:13,719 --> 00:38:16,759 Speaker 1: So that's what Pink was doing. Carl lewis Olympian, Carl 689 00:38:16,840 --> 00:38:20,160 Speaker 1: lewis cool. Macy Gray. If you had a funny voice 690 00:38:20,200 --> 00:38:22,040 Speaker 1: taking your order at some point, it might have been 691 00:38:22,080 --> 00:38:25,839 Speaker 1: Macy Gray. Where did she work? Does it say? Uh? 692 00:38:25,920 --> 00:38:28,960 Speaker 1: I do not see where that was. No. Rachel McAdams, 693 00:38:29,400 --> 00:38:34,200 Speaker 1: super smoking, cute actress, and d l hugely worked at 694 00:38:34,239 --> 00:38:37,279 Speaker 1: McDonald's and they and we did, and they a lot 695 00:38:37,320 --> 00:38:39,239 Speaker 1: of them still say that it was like a great 696 00:38:39,320 --> 00:38:42,560 Speaker 1: job and it taught them order and cleanliness and all 697 00:38:42,560 --> 00:38:45,960 Speaker 1: that good stuff. I I didn't get any of that 698 00:38:46,000 --> 00:38:47,680 Speaker 1: from McDonald's. I worked there for an hour, so I 699 00:38:47,680 --> 00:38:51,040 Speaker 1: can't really say I got a paycheck that was um, 700 00:38:51,440 --> 00:38:54,280 Speaker 1: what was your station? Sixty I would do just about 701 00:38:54,280 --> 00:38:59,839 Speaker 1: anything bathroom front. I don't remember. I never cooked anything, 702 00:39:00,000 --> 00:39:02,840 Speaker 1: can never cook patties, but I make fries, put cheese on, 703 00:39:02,920 --> 00:39:05,160 Speaker 1: stuff like that. It was all over the place. They 704 00:39:05,160 --> 00:39:07,640 Speaker 1: were superstar of the line. No, no, it was just 705 00:39:07,719 --> 00:39:10,200 Speaker 1: like the guy was. I don't think he'd never met 706 00:39:10,280 --> 00:39:13,000 Speaker 1: Ray Croc, the guy who managed that place. And there 707 00:39:13,040 --> 00:39:15,480 Speaker 1: was a little too involved for like a late twenties 708 00:39:15,560 --> 00:39:18,600 Speaker 1: guy with you know, the seventeen year old staff. He 709 00:39:18,920 --> 00:39:22,560 Speaker 1: going like, you know, nothing, not to cast any dispersions 710 00:39:22,680 --> 00:39:24,640 Speaker 1: or or suggest he was up to anything. I mean 711 00:39:24,719 --> 00:39:28,399 Speaker 1: like he was just two on our level. You want 712 00:39:28,400 --> 00:39:30,200 Speaker 1: to be your buddy. Yeah, you know. They say that 713 00:39:30,239 --> 00:39:33,440 Speaker 1: one out of every eight people in the American workforce 714 00:39:33,440 --> 00:39:36,160 Speaker 1: worked at McDonald's at one point. All butt and I 715 00:39:36,200 --> 00:39:40,880 Speaker 1: think of their executives started out and their stores. Yeah, 716 00:39:41,040 --> 00:39:42,880 Speaker 1: and there's a million stats. We won't get into how 717 00:39:42,880 --> 00:39:45,000 Speaker 1: many fries they sell, in the fact that the wraps 718 00:39:45,040 --> 00:39:47,160 Speaker 1: around the earth a gazillion times every day or something 719 00:39:47,239 --> 00:39:49,920 Speaker 1: ridiculous like that. There's so many stats. We got a 720 00:39:49,920 --> 00:39:52,879 Speaker 1: lot of good McDonald's content on the website. I'm gonna 721 00:39:52,880 --> 00:39:57,520 Speaker 1: finish this with two words, shamrock shake, boom. I'm gonna 722 00:39:57,560 --> 00:40:01,359 Speaker 1: finish it with one word mc ribb. Nice Chuck. How 723 00:40:01,400 --> 00:40:04,360 Speaker 1: we almost forgot that great Simpsons episode on in the 724 00:40:04,400 --> 00:40:08,760 Speaker 1: crib too. If you want to know more about the Simpsons, McDonald's, 725 00:40:08,760 --> 00:40:14,400 Speaker 1: the McRib the Shamrock, Shake deal Hugely, or Devo, you 726 00:40:14,440 --> 00:40:16,720 Speaker 1: can type any of those things into the handy search 727 00:40:16,760 --> 00:40:20,560 Speaker 1: bar how stuff works dot Com. I defy you to uh, 728 00:40:20,600 --> 00:40:23,520 Speaker 1: since I said that, I think it's time for listener mail. 729 00:40:24,120 --> 00:40:26,319 Speaker 1: Do we have time for listener mail? No, we don't. 730 00:40:26,400 --> 00:40:28,480 Speaker 1: Let's do this. Let's put out the call. Okay. We 731 00:40:28,560 --> 00:40:31,520 Speaker 1: are coming to New York City folks in June, first 732 00:40:31,560 --> 00:40:34,200 Speaker 1: week in June for Internet Week or is the second week? 733 00:40:34,320 --> 00:40:37,480 Speaker 1: I think it's June. Yes, And we are looking to 734 00:40:37,520 --> 00:40:39,759 Speaker 1: have a stuff you should know happy hour with the 735 00:40:39,800 --> 00:40:43,080 Speaker 1: fans whoever wants to come, and we need some help 736 00:40:43,120 --> 00:40:46,560 Speaker 1: on finding a place that will host this happy hour 737 00:40:46,840 --> 00:40:49,560 Speaker 1: for free. Well yeah, we're just we just need a 738 00:40:49,560 --> 00:40:51,279 Speaker 1: place that we can show up and be and let 739 00:40:51,280 --> 00:40:53,000 Speaker 1: everybody know we're gonna be at. We don't need to 740 00:40:53,000 --> 00:40:55,160 Speaker 1: rent it or anything. Well, preferably would be someone who 741 00:40:55,160 --> 00:40:57,400 Speaker 1: would shut down except for us, and they will be guaranteed, 742 00:40:57,440 --> 00:40:59,960 Speaker 1: probably a lot of people in there buying food and drinking. 743 00:41:00,080 --> 00:41:03,120 Speaker 1: Year awesome, but so New York City fans. If you 744 00:41:03,160 --> 00:41:05,640 Speaker 1: have any connections, please let us know. And we are 745 00:41:05,640 --> 00:41:08,520 Speaker 1: actually looking for t shirt designs. Yeah, we're having a 746 00:41:08,600 --> 00:41:11,560 Speaker 1: t shirt design contest. We're gonna select what the best 747 00:41:11,680 --> 00:41:14,080 Speaker 1: three four. Maybe we haven't worked that out yet. All right, 748 00:41:14,120 --> 00:41:17,120 Speaker 1: we haven't worked that part out everybody, but we are 749 00:41:17,320 --> 00:41:20,839 Speaker 1: calling for t shirt designs. Look for activity on that 750 00:41:20,920 --> 00:41:23,680 Speaker 1: on the Facebook fan page Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant 751 00:41:24,000 --> 00:41:27,839 Speaker 1: and stuff you should Know podcast fit fan page on Facebook. Uh, 752 00:41:27,880 --> 00:41:30,400 Speaker 1: and probably some tweets on it. We're gonna have a 753 00:41:30,440 --> 00:41:32,920 Speaker 1: Twitter feed coming up soon. I think it's gonna be 754 00:41:33,000 --> 00:41:35,440 Speaker 1: like s Y s K maybe or something like that. 755 00:41:35,480 --> 00:41:38,680 Speaker 1: We're getting with the times. Yeah, finally, I guess that's 756 00:41:38,719 --> 00:41:40,840 Speaker 1: about it then, right, Chuck, If you have an email 757 00:41:41,560 --> 00:41:43,440 Speaker 1: that you want to send to us, we'll get back 758 00:41:43,440 --> 00:41:45,839 Speaker 1: to listen to your mail next week. Wrap it up, 759 00:41:46,320 --> 00:41:50,719 Speaker 1: smack it on the bottom, Send it to Stuff podcast 760 00:41:51,360 --> 00:41:58,360 Speaker 1: at how stuff works dot com. For more on this 761 00:41:58,520 --> 00:42:02,160 Speaker 1: and thousands of other topics, visit how stuff works dot com. 762 00:42:02,320 --> 00:42:05,080 Speaker 1: Want more how stuff works, check out our blogs on 763 00:42:05,160 --> 00:42:10,200 Speaker 1: the house Stuff works dot com home page, brought to 764 00:42:10,239 --> 00:42:13,320 Speaker 1: you by the reinvented two thousand twelve camera. It's ready, 765 00:42:13,520 --> 00:42:13,920 Speaker 1: are you