Business
15 Top Secrets About McDonald’s
There is no question that McDonald’s is one of the most successful businesses ever run around the world. What started out as a small hamburger joint as exploded into a multi million dollar corporation. Everyone knows about it, almost everybody has eaten it and there is no sign of this enterprise ever slowing down.
Sure, there has been countless write ups and documentaries about what really is in the McDonald’s food and what happens to your body when you eat so much of it overtime. Educating ourselves about what we are truly eating is key to better understanding and choice making you can do for yourself.
Although we are so familiar with this restaurant chain, how much do we really know about McDonald’s history? Let’s take a look into all angles that make McDonald’s what it really is: unstoppable.
15. McDonald’s feeds 1% of the world’s population per day
Doesn’t that fact just blow your mind?! Every second, Mcdonald’s is responsible for serving 75 hamburgers. Think about how many establishments are set up all over the world and how much traffic is happening every single second, literally.
Millions of people flock to the golden arches because it is inexpensive, you know what you are going to get and some people find that it genuinely tastes good. The numbers do not lie when it comes to McDonald’s ruling the fast food world, even at 1 per cent per day!
14. The founders of McDonald’s sold it for $2.7 million in 1961
Would you not just want to kick yourself in the butt for doing this? McDonald’s was founded by two brothers who hired a franchise agent named Ray Kroc. Ray was able to launch over 500 locations in a very short span. He later bought the business from the brothers as he was becoming more powerful than the original duo.
The agreement was made at selling for $2.7 million. McDonald’s worth today is nowhere near that figure. As of May 2017, McDonald’s net worth was $106.4 billion!
13. It is banned in some countries
It is not secret that McDonald’s is not exactly the healthiest choice of meal, today. Even some of their “healthy” options contain more calories than the regular items. Bermuda has banned McDonald’s from coming in due to fear it would cheapen the culture.
Forget about getting McDonald’s in North Korea or Zimbabwe, because of outrageous politics. Other countries that have chosen to ban include Iran, Iceland Yemen and Bolivia. This proves that not everyone wants McDonald’s around, whether it is because of the cheap food or cheap image that comes along with it.
12. The food will never rot
The golden rule when trying to eat healthy is that if the product can rot or go bad, it is usually good for you in comparison to canned goods. McDonald’s claim the reason for it’s food never rotting while being left out in the open for really long periods of time is that they have very little moisture.
The real reason for the forever survival of the food is the fact that there is such an abundant amount of sugar,salt and fat within the products. This is not really making you hungry now, is it?
11. They brainwash the public through music
Massive corporations like McDonald’s know exactly what they are doing in order to make their millions. It is no surprise that they use subtle techniques that go over the heads of the general public but cause a major impact in improving sales.
McDonald’s decided to take the advertising approach with rap artists requesting they say Big Mac in their songs in exchange for big bucks. Every time the song with Big Mac in it played on the radio, the rapper would make an estimated $5, which could add up quickly. On record, all of the rappers who were asked, refused to do so.
10. There are unique items for different countries
If you have frequented McDonald’s in different parts of the world, you may have noticed a few unique items that are not usually sold everywhere on the menu. In Israel, there are options like the McFalafel and McKebab. There is a McAloo Tikki burger for India and McSpaghetti in The Philippines.
McDonald’s tries to adapt to the local tastes as much as they can the further they go from the typical palates of the USA.
9. The Filet O Fish swam to the top
In between the two buns contains the Pollock fish, it use to be Halibut. This item all started in Ohio when one of the McDonald’s restaurant owners noticed that the sales of hamburgers and cheeseburgers went down greatly during the period of Lent, in a Catholic town.
The owner decided to make an option for these customers to eat during this time that is meat free. The filet o fish was incorporated onto the menu in 1962 and obviously sold the most during that time.
8. The McRib has a cult following
There was something about the McRib that set people wild, it was on the menu then got taken off. Customers erupted and demanded it be brought back. In 1985 it really was not a popular item or originating sales. It was back officially between 1989 and 2005.
Since 2006, every few months it becomes available to the public again for a short period of time. It is actually made of pork meat and no actual ribs, but definitely satisfies a large portion of loyal customers.
7. It is incorporated into The Guinness Book of World Records
There are several records that McDonald’s holds in the world, but there is one that definitely stands out. “Most big macs consumed” drew headlines when Don Gorske took on the challenge. In 2008, he set the record holding down 22,477 big macs throughout his lifetime. He continues to grow his record by eating two big macs per day.
The most he has eaten in one day is nine big macs because he liked the first one so much. His health is reportedly not bad, to our surprise.
6. The golden arches
When you see the golden arches, you automatically know that it represents McDonald’s. It originally was designed in order to guide cars into the drive through area. They were big and bright so nobody could miss it.
They have become so recognizable over the years that more people actually recognize the golden arches than the christian cross all around the world. Has McDonald’s become so huge that it is like a recognizable religion?
5. The salads are extremely fattening
You would think that you are making the wise,healthy choice by ordering a salad and resisting the greasy fries and nuggets when visiting McDonald’s, right? Well, that is far from the case. McDonald’s salads are actually worse for you than ordering the typical burgers and fries combo.
All of the additions to the lettuce is what makes the salads so bad. There are very creamy sauces, extra cheese, croutons and fried chicken sometimes. All of these extras add up, so you are better off just ordering your taboo items instead of trying to be healthy and failing.
4. Children were manipulated
We all are familiar with the iconic McDonald’s clown Ronald McDonald. Years ago, anytime Ronald would make an appearance, children would flock form far and wide just to see him. The actors playing Ronald were contractually not allowed to tell children where the food actually came from.
They were advised to tell them that it was grown in a field. Some of the actors went on to publicly speak after they gave up the acting job stating that they could no longer live with themselves telling these lies.
3. They have fought major legal battles
When you are raking in mega bucks, there is no wonder the legal battles will ensue because everyone wants a piece of the pie or bite of the burger and slurp of the shake. They have faced every type of battle like being accused of destroying rain forests to exploiting employees.
Surprisingly McDonald’s did not win all of the cases. They are huge and win most of them actually, even the most petty cases. In the USA a woman owned a coffee shop called McCoffee, which did not fly with the corporation. She was ordered to change the name after operating under it for 17 years.
2. McDonald’s is extremely charitable
Being such a huge corporation, McDonald’s is able to give back to the world and community in many big ways. They have established The Ronald McDonald House charities that provide housing and care for the families of children undergoing treatment at nearby hospitals.
They have also created McDonald Care mobiles that drive around and provide basic medical care for underprivileged areas. In Hong Kong, China and Japan, McDonald’s that are 24 hours are used as a hostel for those in need who are very poor.
1. Amazing employee treatment
Although many locations have added machines to replace actual people to take your order, human employees are still very useful and appreciated. They are continually coming up with new ways to keep their employees motivated and happy. Restaurant managers are eligible for quarterly bonuses.
There are benefits packages for the employee and their families which they can choose from based on their personal needs. McDonald’s has even been included in ‘Best total reward statements’ and ‘Most motivational benefits’ at the Employee Benefits Awards 2015.
With approximately 1 in every 8 Americans who have worked at a McDonald’s throughout their lifetime, they are doing something right to keep customers and employees McHappy!