In 1939 two brothers, Mac and Dick McDonald, started a drive-in restaurant in San Bernardino, California. They carefully chose a busy corner for their location. They had run their own businesses for years, first a theater, then a barbecue restaurant, then another drive-in. But in their new operation, they offered a new, shortened menu: French fries, hamburgers, and sodas. To this small selection they added one new idea: quick service,no waiters or waitresses, and no tips. 

Their hamburgers were sold for fifteen cents. Cheese was another four cents. Their French fries and hamburgers had a remarkable uniformity , for the brothers had developed a strict routine for the preparation of their food, and they insisted on their cooks' sticking to their routine. Their new drive-in became surprisingly popular, particularly for lunch. People drove up by the hundred during the busy noontime. The self-service restaurant was so popular that the brothers had allowed ten copies of their restaurant to be opened. They were content with this modest success until they met Ray Kroc. 

Kroc was a salesman who met the McDonald brothers in 1954 when he was selling milkshake-mixing machines. He quickly saw the special attraction of the brothers' fast-food restaurants and bought the right to franchise other copies of their restaurants. The agreement included the right to duplicate the menu, the equipment, even their red and white buildings the golden arches . 

Today McDonald's is really a household name. In 1976, McDonald's had over$1 billion in total sales. Its first twenty-two years is one of the most surprising successes in modern American business history.
Who started a drive-in business?
What year did this happen?
And where?
Had they owned a business before?
How much were the burgers sold for?
How much if you wanted cheese?
Was the menu shortened?
What did they offer on the new menu?
Did they take tips?
What was the name of the salesperson who met them?
When did they meet?
What was he selling at the time?
How many sales did McDonald's have in the 1970's?
Did their food have a uniformity about it?
Before they met Ray, how many restaurants had they opened?
Is McDonald's well known today?
Was the new drive in more popular for lunch or dinner?
Mac and Dick McDonald
Mac and Dick McDonald
1939
1939
San Bernardino, California
San Bernardino, California
Yes
They had run their own businesses for years
fifteen cents
 fifteen cents
four cents
Cheese was another four cents
Yes
They were content with this modest success until they met Ray Kroc
French fries, hamburgers, and sodas
French fries, hamburgers, and sodas
no
no tips
Ray Kroc
Ray Kroc
1954
 1954 
milkshake-mixing machines
milkshake-mixing machines
$1 billion
$1 billion in total sales
Yes
duplicate the menu
ten
ten
Yes
most surprising successes in modern American business
lunch
particularly for lunch