Raymond Albert Kroc

(October 5, 1902 - January 14, 1984)

Ray Kroc's entrepreneurial zeal, combined with an almost evangelical ability to motivate nearly everyone he touched, enabled him to build the largest and most successful restaurant franchise company in the world. Ray didn't promise franchisees success. Instead, he offered the opportunity to achieve it. Ray's fair and balanced franchise partnership is said to be his greatest legacy. To underscore his own commitment to "taking the hamburger business more seriously than anyone else," he established Hamburger University. By so doing, he confirmed his willingness to invest in the training and education of McDonald's people and thereby accentuated his franchising commitment.

Ray's operating credo of "Quality, Service, Cleanliness and Value" became the mantra for all McDonald's owners, established a permanent benchmark for the entire foodservice and food processing industries, and, by extension, all service industry components. His exacting mandates for uniformity and product consistency made it possible for a customer to get an identical Big Mac® and french fries in Houston or in Moscow. In fact, the Golden Arches are said to be the second most widely recognized trademark in the world. Ray's company changed the dining lifestyle of an entire society in less than one generation. Consequently, 96 percent of all Americans have eaten at a McDonald's restaurant on at least one meal occasion. Today, McDonald's has more than 21,000 restaurants in 104 countries with a compound average growth of 17 percent over the past 10 years, and system-wide sales exceeding $30 billion.

When Ray died in 1984, he left behind an incomparable legacy in the annals of global foodservice. As an employer, it has been estimated that McDonald's provided the first job for one in 15 Americans. As a humanitarian, he made certain that local McDonald's restaurants each gave something back to its community, and as the company grew, developed new ways of saying "thank you." Ray established the Kroc Foundation in 1969 to support research in diabetes, arthritis and multiple sclerosis. The Ray Kroc - Ronald McDonald Children's Fund was established by Ray's friends to supplement efforts of franchisees in building Ronald McDonald Houses near children's hospitals that provide "homes away from homes" for families of seriously ill children. To continue Ray's charitable activities, the Ronald McDonald House Charities was created in Ray's memory. Today there are 182 Ronald McDonald Houses in 14 different countries.

Ray's urge to excel and his commitment to quality were the rare ingredients that produced the spectacular success of his company and, furthermore, continues to provide exemplary tools of leadership

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