History Buffs: The Founder 

The irony that McDonald's was built by a milkshake machine salesman yet their milkshake machines are always broken is almost poetic.

“It’s better to have one great restaurant than 50 mediocre ones.” It’s so weird to hear that in a story about McDonald’s.

If there was a third McDonald brother, Ray could have been the quarter founder with cheese.

The McDonald brother who lived longer was interviewed in a documentary and it was said that the McDonald brothers knew Ray Croc would be successful so they invested in McDonalds and did quite well as a result. So, they felt very warmly toward Ray Croc because their stock really paid off. I recall reading that Ray had to borrow from all kinds of places such as foundations that lent out to pay off the McDonald brothers.

Let's all take a moment to appreciate Keaton's acting. He's such an understated, versatile actor that puts his all into every film. It's unreal.

When I was in rehab for addiction they played us this movie as an example that no matter where we were in life we could always recover and build great success. The next day they played 'What about Bob?' 🤣

The McDonald brothers continued to make appearances at annual owner conventions well into their later years. That's a fact rarely mentioned. If they were really upset with the corporation then I doubt they would have done this.

I worked at a McDonald’s restaurant during high school in the 1980s. I clearly remember that each location had a wall plaque commemorating Ray Kroc. I guess it was a corporate tactic to erase the legacy of the McDonald brothers.

He actually did a handshake deal like in the movie with an ice cream supplier, who later sued McD and I think settled out of court for millions, so he was known to make deals like that and to break them.

This was such an underrated movie, and I'm surprised it didn't win any awards.

From Mr. Mom to Pacific heights, to Batman, The Founder and more, Micheal Keaton has been a wonderful and versatile actor in many roles. I'm glad to see he is still active and I did like this movie. Thank you History Buffs for your analysis. Best to all.

Fun fact: Joan Kroc gave $200 million to National Public Radio in her will. At the time, it was twice the annual NPR budget, and continues to fund the service today.

Does anyone else get unreasonably excited whenever there’s another History Buffs video out? 😂

History Buffs understands that it’s better to have one great video than 50 mediocre ones.

I think the most important aspect is the milkshakes. See, you really have to understand how they used to be made, milk, ice cream, flavour. Let me tell you about this time I worked as a Gelato maker. Very tiny factory making products for a restaurant chain. Within a couple of meters of floor space, we managed to fit in the production of ice cream / Gelato. It starts with the milk pasteuriser. A large machine which churns and heats the milk. Then, you have those soft serve machines, they mix and chill the milk plus two items, base and paste. The base makes the ice cream and the paste is what you add to it afterwards, drizzle on top. So, there is a fundamental shift between a large factory making just ice cream, to the process of making ice cream being distributed. I would say this shift was the key to McDonalds long term success. Distribution is everything that makes a large business like this work. You couldn't possibly store all of that ice cream on site for so damn long, and to be honest with you, it's actually much easier then you might think to make ice cream. You can literally do it at home, the machinery is not as complicated as you might think, and I seriously laugh at the price tag placed on Italian ice cream, it's a joke. Soft serve is simply just a less frozen version of ice cream. Ice cream was designed to be much colder for long term storage, by keeping soft serve a bit warmer, you reduce a substantial cost right there. People assume soft serve is an inferior product, no, they are just saving costs on refrigeration. And yeah, it cuts down on the cleaning costs as well.

Kroc was nothing but a true businessman, shrewd, conniving, inventive, sneaky,but still a true businessman.

My father, Carl Eriksen, was Ray Kroc's personal assistant from 1966 to 1970. He is briefly mentioned in Kroc's book. I knew Ray Kroc and his wife Jane. (there was a short-lived experiment called "Jane Dobbin's Pie Restaurant") I was around when Ray divorced her for Joan (not Joanne as you say in this video). In 1970, my parents and I went to Hamburger University in Elk Grove, Illinois (west of Chicago). I was the youngest graduate at age 14! I still have the diploma. Kroc was supposed to help my parents start up their own franchise but somehow that deal did not materialize. I can personally vouch for the portrayal of Kroc in the film. He was a ruthless and angry man with a huge ego. When he bought the San Diego Padres baseball team, he got into trouble with the Commissioner of Baseball because he used the PA system to apologize to the fans for his team's poor performance in 1977. He was a control freak and everything had to go his way. He would often visit a McDonald's in his Rolls Royce and if there was trash in the parking lot he would personally pick it up and then berate the manager.

For a company that was all about speed and efficiency, it’s kinda weird that they dived into making pizza in the 80’s. Pizza can be made faster today, but back then it took a lot more time.

This is the kind of content that brings me back to a channel. Well-researched, thorough and interesting. History Buffs, and Gaming Historian videos will always get me to click on them.

Funny story. My class watched this movie in social studies and we actively cheered when Ray Croc got divorced because we all hated him so much. This is a great movie

I find it amazing how In 'N' Out has kept it simple to just hamburgers, fries, and milkshakes. It is what Mcdonald's would probably be if it had never changed anything about itself from its first restaurants.

Ray Kroc also knew Walt Disney the creator of Disney and was close friends with him as they both served in the same ambulance corps as ambulance drivers during ww1 which was when they met.

I was the extra in this movie at 24:40 smoking the cigarette 😂 Did a lot of background work while I lived in Georgia but this was by far one of the more fun sets to work on

Burger in 30 seconds? Oh dear, I wonder why that's not a slogan anymore 😂

My dad disputed with me that McDonalds first restaurant was in Des Plaines Illinois I told him that’s a lie created by Ray Kroc and the real one was in Cali….needless to say he said “That’s a load of Kroc”

I had to do a paper on this movie once. My favorite part has always been Ray Croc in his car, staring menacingly at a McDonald's from afar like a stalker.

Thank you for this one. I've been wondering about the accuracy of The Founder since I first watched it.

This is a fairly decent movie adaptation and yes, it does cut a few corners and leave some historical facts out to help the pace of the film. About 20 years ago I bought a book called McDonalds: Behind The Arches by John F. Love. I still have it and have read it many times. It is a fascinating read and goes into much of the pre-history of the McDonald brothers and various other California fast food operations that began around the same time as well as the development of the company after Ray Kroc took full control and goes well into modern times. I recommend getting a copy if you are genuinely interested in the history of McDonalds.

You forgot to mention the scene where the brothers put a voodoo curse on every restaurant so their ice cream machines are always broken. Can we take a moment to admire Michael Keaton’s acting in this movie? He plays Kroc as such a BASTARD, and evokes such an angry reaction from the audience (at least from me) that you forget at times that you’re watching Michael Keaton playing someone else and not just seeing the person he’s portraying. Keaton’s acting talents aren’t discussed anywhere near as much as I think they should be these days.

I remembered watching this movie with my dad. When they did the montage of new restaurants opening up in the Midwest, he was surprised to see his hometown as the home of the first Mc D’s in the state.

This an excellent and underrated film, with one of Michael Keaton’s superb portrayals.

Its so weird that if you are like me and grew up in Illinois, the knowledge that Ray started McDs and built the first one (which I drove by a lot growing up in IL) is almost gospel. Another great vid!

Before they owned a restaurant, the McDonald brothers had a theater and a hot dog stand. In 1930, with whatever money they had scraped together, they purchased a 750-seat movie theater 20 miles outside Los Angeles in Glendora, calling it the Beacon Theatre. But this being the Great Depression, it did poorly. They noticed that kids seemed to always have enough money for food like burgers and soda. So with a $5,000 loan, the McDonald brothers started the Airdrome hot dog stand in 1937 by an airfield in Monrovia, calling it The Airdome, and they targeted spectators who were watching the planes. This was a success, but they predicted that in the future, they'd need to appeal to cars. So they moved to San Bernardino, changed the name to McDonald's, and the rest is history. Despite hot dogs being their heritage, Ray Kroc didn't even want to serve hot dogs even if there was demand for them. Why? Because to him, there was no way of knowing what was inside them.

The Fillet-O-Fish wasn't created by Ray Croc, it was created by Louis Groen the Cincinnati McDonald's operator, Ray Croc wanted the "Hula Burger" which replaced the burger with pineapple there was a competition at the store who sold more and the fish won

Kind of hard to believe that that is Nick Offerman playing one of the McDonald's brothers without the beard.

My father who was a researcher and diabetes professor actually knew Mr Ray Kroc and was invited to his mansion several times during the years for dinner. Mr Kroc has donated a great deal of money for diabetes research and every year the worlds leading researcher is awarded the "Ray A. and Robert L. Kroc Award" in Uppsala, Sweden. Some of the researchers have been candidates for the Nobel Prize. To conclude, Mr Kroc might have been a tough "businessman" but did a lot of good stuff too! My father liked him a lot./Ulf Hellerstrom, Sweden

I liked "The Founder". It was directed by the same guy who did "Saving Mr. Banks", another period piece that's a look behind the curtain of a beloved product, in that case, the film "Mary Poppins". Interestingly, both movies had BJ Novak, playing Harry Sonneborn and Robert Sherman, respectively. Ray Kroc truly was the hero AND the villain of his own life's story. One thing they don't mention was that before meeting the McDonald brothers, Kroc had already met Carl Karcher of Carl's Jr. fame. He had developed a kitchen system similar to the Speedee system, though a little different.

Ray Kroc was a SOB and that’s why he was so successful. One thing you can be sure about in life; shit always floats to the top. I loved your review. I always look forward to a new episode of History Buffs.

The interesting thing about the Filet O'Fish is that the recipe for it was actually invented by the Cincinnati franchisee, who pitched it to the corporation. And the corporation just took it and rolled it out to the rest of the stores and the guy never saw a dime for it.

The irony is that MacDonald's is considered a restaurant but never served decent food.

Learning about the history of fast food restaurants is always fascinating, such a huge part of most of the lives in America and most people dont look deeper.

People forget that Kroc saw Californians as wanting customization and therefore an inconsistent menu would happen. But by opening the Midwest, you get employees from a culture that does not like to rock the boat. And he even said so. Illinois also had Route 66 and was a popular gateway when the US Highway System built that took people out west.

One thing I went into this movie in mind was that this was a Business man, building a brand into a powerhouse, so I already knew that there were going to be morally unusual choices made to expand his fortunes.

"Some people could never be CEO of a large corporation, because to become a CEO, you need to be willing to step on, squash and crush everyone around you. If you're kind, caring and considerate, you will never have the ego or narcissism required to be a CEO"

Neil Jordan's 1996 Biopic of Michael Collins starring Liam Neeson would be a great video topic. So much context to go over, not to mention how he died 100 years ago this past August

It’s always a good day when a new History Buffs drops!

My question is....I remember in the 70s when McDonald''s was still fast. Real fast. And now, I mean hell, if you get your order in 10 mins you're lucky.

Dude was ruthless.

This is one of my most favorite films. It may be "off the beaten path" unlike the super-popular films that everyone knows, but it's written well and tells a great story.

This movie makes me hungry for Wendy’s. I also love how the running joke now is that the milkshake machine never works at a McDonald’s restaurant.

So glad you're back!! Love your videos!! Many, many, thanks!

In an ironic twist of giving Ray credit for something he didn't technically do, this video attributes the Filet-o-fish to him though he didn't introduce nor invent it. It was actually the idea of one of his bigger franchisees, which Ray fought against due to the costs of sourcing the fish patties, instead wanting to push his idea for a no-meat burger with a slice of pineapple instead of a patty. To choose the option to adopt, they put both on the menu in a test area, and the fish sandwich trounced the pineapple one by a landslide.

When you get your first acting job after working at McDonalds for 5 years and then you play a McDonalds worker 💀

Outstanding as always. It's a really small thing but John Carroll Lynch is such an underrated character actor. Everything he does is awesome. Thanks for all the hard work.

I find it funny that Ray Kroc hated the idea of his business partners selling fried chicken at McDonald’s restaurants even though today they sell Crispy Chicken Burgers

I really wish Nick would make a video on "Che", a 2008 flick about Che and the Cuban Revolution as a background. It would be so interesting to view it from a historian's perspective just like he did with "The Death of Stalin". Please give it a thumbs up if you agree :)

This was such a great movie. Keaton’s performance was superb, as were Nick Offerman and John Caroll Lynch as the brothers. Heart breaking scenes near the end.

Half in the Bag and History Buffs in the same day?? Must be heaven

I remember the QSCV motto when I worked @ McDonalds when I was 15. Loved this movie

I remember wondering as a kid back in the 90s why it was called McDonald’s if the “founder” was named Ray Kroc. It wasn’t until fairly recently (before the movie) that I learned the answer to that.

As someone who was raised off baseline, I do have an immense pride for San Bernardino and San Bernardino county. It's crazy, the origins of Mcdonald's and Taco Bell are in San Bernardino and both franchises became what they are today by essentially appropriating hard-working SB restaurants; in Taco Bell's case a restaurant called Mitla Cafe that's still open. Even though Dino is a dump I'm glad my city/county is getting some love and recognition

I'm glad you can still make shorter but still detailed videos

I’m just glad they named the Big Mac after Mac and not his brother …

Quality video as always Nick. Would love for you to make a video on The Big Short

Babe wake up, new History Buffs!

Ray Kroc reminds of something a business man once said, "You can make friends and you can make money, but you can't at the same time." I don't agree with that but others do.

Thanks for the vid. Always great.

Ray Kroc is one of those guys who you would usually admire but insists on acting so much like a child that you can't

Nick, you knocked another one out of the park. This was excellent.

1:34 I’d argue that he revolutionized restaurants on a global scale considering how big a lot of these franchises are globally

Michael Keaton’s performance was so good that by the end of the movie, I not only hated Ray Kroc but I also hated Michael Keaton.

Again another flawless video.

It is a testament to his ego that most if not all McDonald's have a plaque with Ray's version of the story on display.

This is insane. Wanted to watch this movie for a long time. Finally did just a week ago! Love new History Buff videos and especially since I am prepared for this one! Thank you so much for your work

He founded the company that exists. He founded the company that expanded, standardized and monetized the franchises. He founded the company that bought out the original company. He is the founder of the business. The other guy's were founders of burger cooking and selling. I love this movie. Keatons portrayal of Kroc is a role model of mine. He did what he had to do and made it happen and happen big.

The fact that Ray Kroc left his ex wife a car and a house is more than generous enough to her. She rarely supported his business ideas. Therefore, she deserved no shares in his success

This one of those movies that I could watch and watch again. Most people I know found it boring but I found it very interesting.

It seemed to gloss over the fact Kroc had exponentially more financial resources the brothers did. Knowing a CEO of Tasty Freeze for one ... I'm sure the " country club " guys had names too. More a" rich taking from hard working folks and getting richer" story, than a "pulled up by boot straps" story.

I grew up in Elk Grove Village, Illinois. We frequented the McDonalds on Higgins Rd and I always remember Hamburger University right next door. I had no idea about this history even though I was raised in that town.

You've got to be a really wholesome person to title your autobiography "grinding it out".

I grew up in Devon in the 1970s. My mum was from London, my dad was Irish. My mum's mum, my grandmother used to come and visit us in the summer and I remember her telling me about McDonalds and how it was like INSTANT cooked food that was really tasty. I think I first tried one when I was ten. She said "Its all the new thing. Fast food." I kind of imagined chefs on roller skates hahahaha

I really enjoyed that movie, the story was just heartbreaking so I'm happy that you're making an episode about it. I also love mid 20th century Americana and something about retro McDonald's is so cool

Gotta say, I absolutely felt that the company 100% Beef scared me when I was young. I was convinced that meal worms were being used.

History buffs: American Gangster Please

I had a very good friend (practically a grandmother) who passed away last year at age 89. She was Ray Croc's Personal Secretary at McDonalds, and after he left, she ran the operations in the region between the US West Coast and the Mississippi River. She's not depicted in this film but she did see it. She did not receive this film well, as she knew Ray and she says he was not like this at all. She was by far the most sincere, humble and nicest person I've ever known, and retained a strong mind, so I take her at her word. If she was still with us, I would absolutely watch this video with her. For now, i'll just have to wait till I get home from work.

Mark Knopfler wrote a song about Ray Krok and McDonalds called Boom, Like That which is basically the entire story of the Founder, I always thought it odd that it didn't play in the end credits of the movie.

my father is a Project Manager at Mcdonalds in Chicago. i was taken to visit the new HQ which sucks and the old Sugar Grove HQ qhich was amazing to tour. i remember evertime i went there we would drive past Hamburger University and go into the main building to see the artwork lining the walls and the open lighting style. now they are in a generic office building with exposed support beams to make it look rustic. anyone who knows anyone who worked in Sugar Grove knows how great of an HQ it was.

I have Ray Krocs book "how to run a restaurant" published by Iowa State University Press back in the 1960s. As a former restaurant manager it is worth its weight in gold

I was born and raised in San Bernardino. My aunt worked at the first Mc Donald's as a car hop and my mom worked at the one across the street years later. Fun fact: The site of the original is a parking lot and the one across the street is a Mc Donald's museum.

Underrated movie. 'McDonalds: The Movie' was excellent and overall, for a Hollywood movie, they did good job balancing this where Crok is no hero but he's not a bad guy either. Neither were the McDonald brothers heroes or villains. It was legit fascinating to see what became a massive cultural phenom, the quirky things, the biggest moves dared and the whole thing was very very well done

"Contracts are like hearts. They're made to be broken." Cold AF

I’d love for you to do a video on The Social Network. Your insight is amazing and I love watching all of your videos. Thank you :)

The casting was incredible. I had no idea how close the Brothers looked like that. 3:50

I am glad you are covering different movies (such as this one) and not just the most known historical ones.

Thanks for reviewing this movie. the story of a salesman who founded a fast-food franchise worth millions of dollars doesn't sound like world changing drama. Except he did change it, just a little bit, and that's dramatic enough. I was impressed by how hard the movie tried to get the USA of the Fifties right. Lots of the scenes looked like they came from my grandparents' photo albums.

New subscriber. Stumbled upon this suggested video. Interesting deep dive into this movie and the realities.

Hello Nick Hodges, I just wanted to say that I have enjoyed your work so far. It's honestly refreshing to see people examine the historical accuracy of films, especially for one that has been doing for over seven years. I just have one humble request: For any future History Buffs episode, I would recommend reviewing "Thirteen Days". It goes over the Cuban Missile Crisis from the perspective of the politicians and officers in the U.S. government and military respectively, with Kenny O'Donnell (played by Kevin Costner), John F. Kennedy (portrayed by Bruce Greenwood), and Robert Kennedy (played by Steven Culp) as the main figures. From what I've researched, the film was close to historically accurate as one can get, with the exception of Kenny's role in the film. In the film, Kenny was portrayed as the one man who kept everyone together in working out a solution for the Cuban Missile Crisis, when in real life, it was Ted Sorenson, at least according to Robert McNamara. With that said, it would be interesting to see how you dissect this film for any historical inaccuracies or otherwise, which is something I and many of your fans would be greatly interested in and will be looking forward towards. With that said, I wish you the best in your future endeavors.

Great content like always!! Hey Nick...Have you ever thought about an International History Buffs movie reviews? There are lots of historical movies out there which aren't necessarly made in Hollywood and have lots of efforts and love in their making. It could help people extend their knowledge and their attention towards a wider selection of historical movies.

The film did a solid job with the “the hero was the villain all along” twist.

He is the founder because he is Batman!