more than half a century ago, Ray Kroc, a 52-yearold
salesman of milkshake-mixing machines, set
out on a mission to transform the way Americans
eat. In 1955, Kroc discovered a string of seven
restaurants owned by Richard and Maurice McDonald. He
saw the McDonald brothers’ fast-food concept as a perfect fit
for America’s increasingly on-the-go, time-squeezed, familyoriented
lifestyles. Kroc bought the small chain for $2.7 million,
and the rest is history.