May 16, 2008
“Roy, what was it really like in the earliest days of McDonald’s? I’m starting/working at a small company, and I wonder what to expect, and can I ever be as big as McDonald’s?” Yes, Bunky, you can.
Here is what it was like: Awesome!! Not all of the time, but most of the time.
There were three aspects of the company back in 1969 that we used to liken to a three-legged stool. What held everything up was the corporation, the operators, and the suppliers. The corporation was a great place to work. I started as an assistant advertising manager, coming from The Leo Burnett Agency, one of the biggest in the world. At 25 years of age, I went to a company to fry hamburgers, or at least that’s what my dad said. When I interviewed, I loved the people, the place, and the atmosphere. My first day in the office, they told me to go to a co-op meeting and advise on the marketing plan. So, I hopped in my 1966 VW with an A.M. radio and no air and drove there. They were having a golf outing. I don’t golf. They told me to wait in the bar and stay out of trouble. I did. Got to know every operator in the co-op that day.
The second day, they put me on a plane to visit my far-away co-ops. I had 11 states and 37 television markets to worry about. And, I worried about every one of them. I walked into the first meeting and the co-op president called the meeting to order with the butt end of a 45.
My fellow company people were as supportive as they could possibly be. Everyone tried to help me, and I learned what all of their jobs were about. Though certainly not an operations expert, I learned the right questions to ask and what to look for in the store. One of the biggest lessons I learned was to look carefully at what was going on if the sales suddenly jumped up. My field consultant and I were studying a store in a flat market where the sales were going through the roof. It was Christmas time. We had just introduced Egg Nog shakes. People were lined up for this operator’s Egg Nog shakes. Why? He was putting a shot of brandy in each one. Had to stop it, reluctantly.
I’ve never worked in a more exciting, risk-taking, loving, and rewarding place as my early years at McDonald’s. You worked hard and you played hard and sometimes you missed your first daughter’s childhood like I did. I will be forever sorry about that.
The second leg is the operator. The operator was king. He could do no wrong. Sometimes he lost sight, but he was never wrong. We knew that as the operator went, so went the company. Licensees ran 80 percent of the stores. If the operator was unhappy, so was the company. Our job was to keep them happy. Sometimes you had to be firm, though. One co-op was lambasting me for the “lousy” advertising we were running. I listened, but felt a response was necessary. I told them they’d finally discovered the answer. I did bad ads on purpose because I wanted the stock price to go down so my net worth would go down and my options would go to heck. You could have heard a pin drop. We were best of friends from then on. I couldn’t buy a drink in that market.
There were some not so great operators in the early days, but most of the folks had their life savings invested in their store and wanted to work hard, and they did. One operator was having a rough time because of his location, not lack of work. I lent him $100 to get him through the week. Ten years later, he sent me a check for $100,000. I wouldn’t take it, and he and I donated it to charity. That’s how hard he worked. I loved the operator community for their dedication, their tirelessness, and their honesty. I hope your licensees are as good as mine were.
The third leg is the suppliers. Ray wanted every supplier to make an honest profit if they deserved it. And, we worked with our suppliers as partners. In my case, I worked with the most talented people in the advertising business at our national and local agencies. We created one of the most revered marketing programs ever. We rejoiced in each other’s success, and when an agency got another big account, we warned them not to forget about us and then threw them a party. Some of my most lasting relationships from the business are still with agency people I worked with years ago. And, it was the same for all of our suppliers. Some became exclusive to us because they loved the relationship. Others went on to work for lots of other companies. But it was the same everywhere. Work hard, innovate, and you will be treated fairly. No squeezing.
Enjoy your early days, however you define them. Be honest, work hard, play hard, don’t forget your family, and put yourself in the other person’s shoes before you do something to them.
Peaceful Life and happy trails.
