GRINDING IT OUT: The Making of McDonald's

by Ray with Robert Anderson Kroc ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 20, 1977

Work is the meat in the hamburger of life""--that's straight from the Big Mouth who created the Big Mac empire. Kroc didn't invent the billion-dollar meat patty; he bought out the McDonald brothers of San Bernardino, California, when they began to cramp his style. Before discovering his true calling, Kroc peddled ribbon novelties, paper cups, and underwater Florida real estate, and played piano in now-forgotten orchestras. But life grew sweet in the Fifties after the fateful trip to California--even if ""you lose a lot of your friends on the way up"" as well as a wife or two. Not a man to waste time in idle regrets (""I had no time to bother with emotional stress""), Kroc implemented his KISS motto--that's for Keep It Simple, Stupid--from franchise to franchise, building a personal monument to capitalism on the strength of Hamburger U. and daring innovations like fish fillet with cheese. Another Willy Loman, give or take a few million, Kroc believes perseverance will prevail every time over brains, education, and almost anything but the occasional city ordinance banning one of his eateries from a posh neighborhood. You'll need plenty of perseverance to chomp your way through this vulgar self-testimonial by the man who most recently has tried to make his success formula rub off on his baseball team, the San Diego Padres. They're slow learners--but then Kroc didn't begin to score till he was in his fifties.

Pub Date: May 20, 1977

ISBN: 0312929870

Page Count: -

Publisher: Regnery

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1977

Categories: NONFICTION