McDonald’s is one of the most famous and popular fast food chains in the world. It has over 35,000 restaurants in about 100 countries. The chain is known for its hamburgers but it also sells chicken, cheeseburgers, salads and soft drinks.
In 1940 the first McDonald’s was opened by two brothers Maurice and Richard McDonald in San Bernardino, California. They wanted to build a fast food restaurant that would be able to serve large amounts of food at low prices. Instead of relying on waiters and waitresses, they installed a self-service counter where customers could order their meals and sit down to eat them themselves.
This method of operation lowered costs by reducing the amount of time it took to prepare the food. This was a big advantage over its competitors, which were primarily drive-in restaurants.
As the company grew it had to be able to keep up with the demand of its customers. To do this it had to develop new products.
The company introduced a range of new items such as entree salads and McGriddles breakfast sandwiches which were more nutritious than the traditional burger. This helped to boost sales and the company began to expand abroad.
In 1997 the company changed its leadership. Former Pizza Hut President Harvey Greenberg was appointed to the position of CEO, replacing John Quinlan who had been in charge for over 30 years. This was a move that many considered unusual in the fast food industry where long-time executives are usually in charge.
Another change was that the company shifted its focus away from expansion to gaining more sales from existing stores. This strategy aimed to increase profits by making more money per store than the average McDonald’s had made in the past.
To do this the company had to change its business model and make sure that all stores were operated according to a standardized system. This meant that each McDonald’s had to meet a set of rules for everything from the quality of its foods and the cleanliness of its establishments to the way it handled money.
It was this change in business that paved the way for McDonald’s to become a global chain with outlets across the world. In 1998 McDonald’s had more than 11,000 restaurants in nine major markets around the globe, including Australia, China, France, Germany, Japan, Spain and the United Kingdom.
As well as this the company started to open restaurants in countries that had not traditionally been a McDonald’s market, for example Russia and Israel. These locations had to be designed in a way that would appeal to their local residents and be able to provide a good service for them.
The restaurant chain grew rapidly in the 1990s, with international units growing from about 3,600 in 1991 to more than 11,000 by 1998. During this time the chain also became more flexible with respect to local foods preferences and customs.
As a result of this the company started to produce some really innovative products such as fresh juices, salads and even desserts. As the company is known for its burgers it had to be able to come up with new products that would help them attract more customers and keep them coming back.