In the film, The Founder, there are glaring differences between Ray Kroc and the McDonald’s brothers, Richard and Maurice. Ray Kroc is shown to have one thing on his mind; money. He values efficiency, cost effectiveness, and the expansion of the business, even if it means cutting corners, or a lower quality product. The McDonald’s brothers on the other hand, are more invested in the experience of their customers, and the quality of their food. They value quality and integrity.
Did the McDonald’s brothers do the right thing by selling out to Ray Kroc? The answer changes depending on the party in question. For the McDonald’s brothers, the answer would be no. Everything that the McDonald’s brothers valued was disregarded by Ray Kroc, and financially, they were robbed in my opinion. The answer for consumers would be yes. If not for Kroc’s utilization of the McDonald’s brothers’ innovative design for the kitchen, and super-efficient machines and techniques for producing food in seconds, McDonald’s might not have become the powerhouse it is today in the fast-food industry. Kroc’s ideas lead to lower prices and wait times for consumers. As to whether or not the brothers got a good deal from Kroc, it’s a resounding no for me. They were way underpaid for the value that was McDonalds and screwed out of the “handshake deal” they made with Kroc, who never held up his end of the deal.
How did the local store franchises make money? The local store makes their money by their sales. The more business they get in the area they built McDonalds. While a cut still has to be given to the franchisor. Ray Kroc took 4% of royalties while also taking a cut of rent each month due to him owning and making all franchise on land he bought.
After watching the movie, I see Mcdonalds in a worse light than I already did. Seeing how much care the brothers had for their business, the values they held especially for their customers. I wish they were able to fight harder for what they worked so hard to build. From a business standpoint I do understand Rays thought process and all the potential he saw. I personally feel like we need more people like the Mcdonalds brothers. 10/10 don’t recommend Mcdonalds food!!!
