Ray Kroc

Ray Kroc, born Ray Arthur Kroc on 5 October 1902, founder of the McDonald's Corporation. Dubbed the "Hamburger King," Kroc was named to the TIME 100 list of the most influential builders and titans of industry in the world. He died on 14 January 1984.

McDonald's

Kroc did not set out to sell hamburgers when he started McDonald's Corporation in 1954 and 1955 with a restaurant in Des Plaines, Illinois. In the early 1950s, Kroc was a milkshake machine salesman travelling across the country peddling his kitchen gadget. He found out two brothers, Dick and Maurice "Mac" McDonald, were using eight of his machines at their San Bernardino, California diner. Hoping to capitalize on the brothers' success with their milkshakes, Kroc acquired franchising rights to open a McDonald's restaurant of his own. Not only did the milkshakes become as popular in Illinois as California, but the hamburgers and french fries were a hit, too. In 1961, Kroc bought out the McDonald brothers for U.S. $2.7 million and opened restaurants around the world.

External Link

\n* TIME Magazine profile Kroc, Ray Kroc, Ray