From Barbeque to Hamburgers, and the Birth of Fast Food
McDonald’s remained a BBQ joint until 1948, when the McDonald Brothers realized that most of their money came not from barbeque items, but from hamburgers. So the siblings, determined to make their first million bucks before they were fifty, changed course. They shuttered their San Bernardino restaurant for a redesign and rebuild.
When it reopened, the barbeque was gone, replaced by a simplified menu that focused on hamburgers. It had only nine items: hamburgers, cheeseburgers, milk shakes, French fries, Coke, root beer, coffee, orange drink, and milk. The simple menu was accompanied by a simple format the brothers named the “Speedee Service System”. It became the template for all fast food restaurants.
The core of their system was a self-service counter that eliminated the need for waiters and waitresses. Customers got their food quickly because their burgers were cooked ahead of time, wrapped, and warmed under heat lamps. That system allowed the McDonald Brothers to charge only 15 cents for a hamburger – half the price of competitors.
Thus they pioneered the fast food format that spread around the world. However, to the extent that most people know of an entrepreneur associated with McDonald’s, it is not the McDonald Brothers, but businessman Ray Kroc (1902 – 1984). So, whatever happened to Maurice and Richard McDonald?
