ABOUT SAVANNAH MCDONALDS

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Our story starts with one man.

Back in 1954, a man named Ray Kroc discovered a small burger restaurant in California, and wrote the first page of our history. From humble beginnings as a small restaurant, we're proud to have become one of the world's leading food service brands with more than 36,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries. 

 

The Ray Kroc Story

How do you create a restaurant business and become an overnight success at the age of 52? As Ray Kroc said, “I was an overnight success alright, but 30 years is a long, long night.”

 

A Unique Philosophy

Ray Kroc wanted to build a restaurant system that would be famous for providing food of consistently high quality and uniform methods of preparation. He wanted to serve burgers, buns, fries and beverages that tasted just the same in Alaska as they did in Alabama.

 

To achieve this, he chose a unique path: persuading both franchisees and suppliers to buy into his vision, working not for

McDonald’s but for themselves, together with McDonald’s. He promoted the slogan, “In business for yourself, but not by yourself.” His philosophy was based on the simple principle of a 3-legged stool: one leg was McDonald’s franchisees; the second, McDonald’s suppliers; and the third, McDonald’s employees. The stool was only as strong as the three legs that formed its foundation.

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