Good Grades Are A Must
McDonald's makes sure all of its managers go through the Hamburger University program. Jason Hamm is one of the trainers at the special school. He pushes students to make decisions quickly, just like they would in real life. “We try to throw a lot of different things at them,” Hamm said.
The 130,000-square-foot Hamburger University just outside of Chicago is known as the Fred L. Turner Training Center. Fred Turner started the Hamburger University program in 1961. He started working on the grill at McDonald's and worked his way up to leading the company.
Turner held the first Hamburger University classes in the basement of a McDonald's restaurant near Chicago. He had just 15 students. Now there are seven Hamburger Universities around the world. They have helped 330,000 people become better managers.
During their week at the center, students learn about teamwork, being a good leader and making smart decisions. They are graded on how they handle problems in the pretend restaurant. They also have to give a group presentation. Students with the highest scores get special gold seals on their graduation papers.
For many, the training is the first time they have been in a classroom in many years.