McDonald’s is one of the most popular chains of restaurants in the world, without a doubt. This is a restaurant that started small back in the late 1940s in California. Over time, it managed to grow to a certain level which wasn’t expected by its founders. We are pretty certain that its founders expected that. Nowadays, this is a company that has franchises all over the world, which makes it one of the wealthiest companies ever. We can compare it to other large multinational companies, without a doubt. A lot has been said about the company itself and its activities in the last couple of decades, and we are pretty certain that almost everyone in the world known it and what it represents. According to some statistics, around 70 million pay for its services every day. This is not something that should surprise you if know that it has around 40,000 outlets in more than a hundred countries in the world.
Also, the company can say that it employs almost half a million people from all over the world. As you can presume, the company has serious wealth and power. We can see that this trend is not something that will disappear anytime soon. There is a lot of trivia that can be said about this restaurant and we are pretty sure that a lot of it can be found on the internet. However, we have decided to provide you with an insight into the things that you probably didn’t know about McDonald’s. Therefore, we’ve done our research on a lot of things regarding this restaurant. We are going to talk about all of these fields in greater detail. We are going to talk about its history, its evolution, influence, and net worth as of 2024. We are certain that you will like all the information that we are going to provide you with. Without further ado, let’s begin.
How Did it Start?
img source: history.com
As we’ve mentioned before, the company itself was founded back in the 1940s. Originally, it was founded by Richard and Maurice McDonald. It can be said these two were pioneers in something that’s called “Speedee Service System”. This is a method of fast preparation of street food and servicing it the fastest way possible. According to some experts, there weren’t the first ones to implement this approach, but anyway, they are the ones that made it even more efficient. The first McDonald restaurant was opened in Phoenix, Arizona back in 1953. The brother teamed up with Ray Kroc, a local entrepreneur. After a couple of decades of great collaboration, Ray Kroc decided to buy McDonald’s brothers share in the company. This entrepreneur was the one that made this restaurant what it is today.
The Decline in 2012
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Since you are perfectly aware that this is a company that constantly grows, there is nothing wrong with skipping the part of the story, which is not as interesting. What needs to be said is that the company experienced a decline in its monthly sales back in 2012, for the first time in its long history. This wasn’t a one-time thing since this decline lasted for about two years. The result was not a good one. Around 200 restaurants were closed in the US. The number of restaurants in the world that was closed due to this crisis is unknown. However, the company managed to get up on its feet and it managed to re-open the highest percentage of this number.
Net Worth
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As you can presume, this is a very powerful company that has its businesses all over the world. So, it doesn’t come as a surprise that they have a lot of money, which is constantly re-invested into different projects od theirs, for them to grow even bigger than they are now. As of 2024, this restaurant’s net worth is $170 billion. This sum makes it one of the wealthiest companies in the world easily. The credit for the success of this company can be given to the brothers, who had the initial idea for the restaurant itself, Maurice and Richard, and Ray Kroc, who thought about going global with his idea. The result is the one that we can see today. Back in 2016, Lee Hancock directed the movie “The Founder” about Ray Kroc, starring Michael Keaton.
Products
img source: rd.com
Since this is a pretty popular restaurant all over the world, we are pretty sure that you are aware of the basic products you can find in it. You can choose from a wide array of products like sandwiches, desserts, hamburgers, and french fries and their varieties. Also, you can see that there are a plethora of different salads you can choose from. What’s interesting to know is that McDonald’s handles some of the countries differently when it comes to its menu. For example, in Germany, you have the option to order a beer in this restaurant. Also, in Asian countries, you can order soup, which is not possible in the Western hemisphere. Last but not least, in New Zealand, you can order a meat pie. Because of its flexibility and readiness to adapt to different cultures, McDonald’s managed to succeed in many different countries.
The Influence of McDonald’s
img source: time.com
When we talk about McDonald’s, we talk about an idea that provided a plethora of influence for many people in the hospitality industry. We can see that all over the world, many companies are reading for McDonald’s book and take some tips about how to develop a successful fast-food business. Without a doubt, Ray Kroc can be awarded the credit for his work as a man who created the company as we know it today. It is equally popular both in its native United States and all the foreign countries. The company has a lot of outlets on all continents and in almost every country in the world. We are pretty sure that the company will be even more successful in the future.
