Richard and Maurice McDonald

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Richard McDonald
Born Richard James McDonald
(1909-02-16)February 16, 1909
Manchester, New Hampshire, U.S.
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Bedford, New Hampshire, U.S.
Resting place Mount Calvary Cemetery
Manchester, New Hampshire, U.S.
Nationality American
Other names Dick McDonald
Occupation Entrepreneur
Known for Original founder of McDonald's
Spouse(s) Dorothy McDonald
(m. ?–1998; his death)
Maurice McDonald
Born Maurice James McDonald
(1902-11-26)November 26, 1902
Manchester, New Hampshire, U.S.
Died Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist.
Riverside, California, U.S.
Resting place Desert Memorial Park
Cathedral City, California, U.S.
Nationality American
Other names Mac McDonald
Occupation Entrepreneur
Known for Co-founder of McDonald's
Spouse(s) Dorothy Carter (m. ?–1971; his death)

Brothers Richard James "Dick" McDonald (February 16, 1909 – July 14, 1998) and Maurice James "Mac" McDonald (November 26, 1902 – December 11, 1971) were American restaurateurs and entrepreneurs who developed and opened the first McDonald's restaurant in 1940. Their innovative concept and execution of a fast food stand has been highly influential in American cuisine, serving as the foundation for a global enterprise.

Early life

The McDonald brothers were born in Manchester, New Hampshire. Their parents were immigrants from Ireland.[1] Their father worked as a shift manager in a New Hampshire shoe factory. In the late 1920s, the brothers moved together to California.

Business career

In 1937, the McDonald brothers opened a hot dog stand (without hamburgers on the menu) in Arcadia, California, northeast of Los Angeles. It was a typical drive-in food stand of its era, where patrons waited in their cars while carhop waiters took and delivered orders.

In 1948, the brothers designed a purpose-built restaurant in San Bernardino, focused on hamburgers and french fries, on the corner of 1398 North E Street and West 14th Street in San Bernardino, California (Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.).[2] While this "McDonald's" was still premised on most customers arriving by car, its design was unique due to a combination of factors:

  • Like the brothers' previous food stands, the design deliberately omitted an interior dining area.
  • There was no waiting staff; orders were taken in person at the front counter, where the food was also delivered.
  • The brothers designed the kitchen area themselves, integrating their acquired knowledge into an assembly line-style layout that maximized efficiency and output.

The new restaurant was a success, and with a goal of making $1 million before they turned 50[citation needed] the McDonald brothers began franchising their system in 1953, beginning with a restaurant in Phoenix, Arizona operated by Neil Fox.[2] At first they only franchised the system, rather than the name of their restaurant. Later, the brothers started franchising the entire concept, with restaurants built to a standard design, created by Fontana, California architect Stanley Clark Meston, and featuring Richard's suggestion of the paired Golden Arches, which formed an "M" when viewed from an angle.

In 1954, the McDonald brothers partnered with Ray Kroc. The franchiser took 1.9 percent of the gross sales, of which the McDonald brothers got 0.5 percent.[3] The brothers wished to maintain only a small number of restaurants, which conflicted with Kroc's goals.

On November 30, 1984, Richard McDonald – the first cook behind the grill of a McDonald's – was served the ceremonial 50,000,000,000th (50 billionth) McDonald's hamburger by Ed Rensi, then president of McDonald's USA, at the Grand Hyatt hotel in New York City.[4][5][6]

Deaths

Maurice McDonald died from heart failure in Riverside, California, on December 11, 1971, at the age of 69.

Richard McDonald died in Manchester, New Hampshire, on July 14, 1998, at the age of 89.[5][7] His wife Dorothy died soon after. They were survived by Dorothy's son, Gale French.[8]

In popular culture

In the 2016 film The Founder, Richard McDonald is played by Nick Offerman and John Carroll Lynch portrays Maurice McDonald.

References

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  2. 2.0 2.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. Business Stories of All Time: Ray Kroc; John Wiley & Sons; 1996.
  4. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. 5.0 5.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. "La reina de la cocina (rápida) cumple 100 años". May 30, 2004 El Mundo (Spain).
  7. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. "Fast food supremo dies" July 15, 1998. BBC News. Accessed January 6, 2007.

External links