Business Spotlight: McDonald’s Part 1

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Category: Business

Listening

Unlocking Word Meanings

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.

  1. try (one's) hand at (something) /  traɪ hænd æt / (idiom) – to try to do something for the first time
    Example:

    My sister tried her hand at baking a cake, and for a first-timer, the result was pretty good!


  2. establishment / ɪˈstæb lɪʃ mənt / (n.) – a shop, business, or organization that’s in a particular building or place
    Example:

    The big snowstorm forced several downtown establishments to close for a few days.


  3. initially / ɪˈnɪʃ ə li / (adv.) – happening at the beginning of something
    Example:

    Initially, my plan was to major in engineering, but I actually graduated with a degree in literature.


  4. joint / dʒɔɪnt / (n.) – an inexpensive or informal restaurant
    Example:

    We went to a nearby fried chicken joint for dinner.


  5. buy out / baɪ aʊt / (phrasal v.) – to pay someone to get his/her share of a business or company
    Example:

    The restaurant owners were bought out by their son so he could take control of the business and they could retire.


Article

Read the text below.

The pandemic has seen the rise of food delivery services like Demae-Can, which lets restaurants try their hand at “fast food.” Yet what would this business model be without the original outlets that shaped our tastes in fast-food establishments? In particular, let’s look at the most successful chain of them all, McDonald’s.


In 1948, brothers Maurice and Richard McDonald opened McDonald’s Bar-B-Que in San Bernardino, California. Initially a barbecue joint, it soon switched its focus to hamburgers and shortened its name to McDonald’s.


By 1952, it had gone full “fast food,” spreading out its seating and turning down its heating to encourage customer movement. That same year, it established the famous “golden arches” logo and its first franchise.


McDonald’s success caught the eye of salesman Ray Kroc, who helped establish franchises on the East Coast and founded the McDonald’s Corporation in 1955. He also implemented the Sonneborn Model of ownership, in which McDonald’s owns the lands that franchises are built on.


In 1961, Kroc bought out the McDonald’s brothers. He improved the McDonald’s brand through advertising, introducing mascot Ronald McDonald in 1963. (Jasmin Hayward)


To be continued…


This article was provided by The Japan Times Alpha.


Viewpoint Discussion

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.

Discussion A

  • Initially a barbecue joint, the company soon switched its focus to hamburgers and shortened its name to McDonald’s. What do you imagine was the reason for such a big change (ex. they didn’t want to make barbecue anymore, they discovered a good recipe for hamburgers)? Why? Discuss.
  • By 1952, McDonald’s had gone full “fast food,” spreading out its seating and turning down its heating to encourage customer movement. Do you know any other tricks that fast-food restaurants use to get customers to eat quickly and leave? What do you think about these tricks? Why? Discuss.

Discussion B

  • The pandemic has seen the rise of food delivery services like Demae-Can, which lets restaurants try their hand at “fast food.” Do you think regular restaurants have been as successful as fast food chains like McDonald’s during the pandemic? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • McDonald’s established its “golden arches” logo in 1952. Do you think any other company’s logo is as well-known all over the world as McDonald’s logo is? Why or why not? Discuss.