Until a certain point, Ray Kroc could not have imagined that he would once become a world-famous entrepreneur. However, he managed to realize the business idea that made him one of the richest people in America. Moving away from business, Krok became the owner of a baseball team and lived comfortably until his death in 1984.
From the biography of Ray Crock
The future famous businessman was born on October 5, 1902 in the town of Oak Park, a suburb of the American city of Chicago. Ray's parents came from among Czech immigrants. Krok's father was born in Bohemia. In the 1920s, he made a fortune by speculating in land, but in 1929 he lost everything during the stock market crash.
Ray Crock spent most of his life in his native Oak Park. When the imperialist war began, the young man lied about his age and at the age of 15 became the driver of the Red Cross. However, the war soon ended; the young soldier did not have time to taste all its “charms”.
During the Great Depression, Krok worked in various places. He sold paper cups, was a real estate agent in Florida. Ray had to play the piano in various musical groups. He could only dream of a brilliant future, he had no real chances to break into people.
At the origins of a business empire
At the end of World War II, Krok found work in a food chain: here he sold mixers for dairy products. In 1954, Ray met Maurice and Richard MacDonald, who held a chain of stores and bought business equipment from Crock. After reviewing the brothers' enterprise, Krok concluded that this business could well be expanded.
The McDonald Brothers restaurant was clean and well equipped. The picture was complemented by well-groomed and professional staff of the company. Krok knew well that roadside eateries were sometimes only suitable for unassuming bikers and local teens. In Croc's head, the McDonald's concept was born, in which he saw the ideal version of how a fast food restaurant should be arranged. In alliance with the brothers, MacDonald Crock opened such an institution in Illinois.
Big business
It is believed that it was Ray Kroc who made a number of fundamental changes in the model of food franchising that existed before him. Innovations primarily concerned the nature of sales: Krok offered business buyers franchises of one store instead of selling large territorial brands. This was an unusual decision for the industry.
Krok agreed with the MacDonald brothers about uniformity in the service system and relatively high quality standards. This could be achieved while maintaining influence on all enterprises included in the network.
And here is another innovation: Krok proposed creating places not in the center of the city, but on its outskirts. At the same time, citizens could eat at the end of the working day. In the restaurants of the chain, a strict rule was observed: the premises, equipment and accessories should sparkle with cleanliness, the staff should be tidy and polite. Restaurants were not allowed to deviate from the standard menu.
The business model was so successful that in the 60s other fast food enterprises began to actively copy it. Meanwhile, Krok bought the company from his brothers, although for this he had to look for finances on the side: the expanding business required investments on its own.
In 1974, Krok decided to retire. He turned to baseball, which he was fond of in his youth.
