Fast Food Nation Chapter 2: Ray Kroc and American Food Culture

Introduction: McDonald's as an Entrenched Cultural Symbol

America without McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, and other fast food restaurants is difficult to imagine today, but before Ray Kroc bought the franchise rights to McDonald's in the mid-twentieth century, fast food was not an entrenched part of American culture. In Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser devotes the second chapter of his book to describing how Ray Kroc paralleled the work of Walt Disney and filled a cultural void in America. Because America was a relatively young country, there was no established food culture like those found in older nations such as France, Italy, and Spain. Until Kroc's innovations, there was no food that could be described as distinctly "American," and in the ironically titled chapter "Your Trusted Friends," Schlosser describes exactly how Kroc helped create America's fast food culture.

Schlosser begins chapter two of Fast Food Nation by describing McDonald's as it exists today and demonstrating how deeply ingrained it is in American society. He describes his visit to the Ray A. Kroc Museum, his walk through the McStore, its close proximity to Hamburger University, and the degree received by that institution's students: a degree in "Hamburgerology." He describes the merchandise available in the McStore: bean bag McBurglar dolls, telephones shaped like French fries, key chains, golf bags, jewelry, baby clothes, leather jackets, and more. All of this is meant to demonstrate how one man created a food culture where there was none — and how artificial and commercial that culture really is.

Ray Kroc's Vision and the Disney Parallel

Schlosser argues that McDonald's, influenced by the success of Disney, has become an entrenched part of American culture and that its influence extends far beyond food. McDonald's is a cultural symbol, recognized by children as young as two years old and now exported around the world as a symbol of America itself. Schlosser believes this manufactured cultural symbol is artificial, and its rise is attributable in large part to the absence of any legitimate food culture in America. Schlosser says that Ray Kroc sought to create a utopia that does not exist in reality — a place where cleanliness and control are maintained by strictly adhering to a non-negotiable set of standards.

In "Your Trusted Friends," Schlosser outlines Ray Kroc's rise to fame and fortune, pointing out that, more than someone who cared about food and culture, Kroc was a masterful salesman. His ability to market McDonald's — particularly to children — is the primary reason the restaurant came to define the food culture that America had previously lacked.

Kroc initially bought the franchise rights to McDonald's from the original owners of a single restaurant in California. He had the vision and understanding of America to recognize that fast food could be the innovation that would create a food culture where none existed. In this ability, according to Schlosser, Kroc was very similar to Walt Disney, who created an entertainment culture essentially from scratch. Schlosser chronicles Disney's rise to power in order to demonstrate how Kroc followed in his footsteps, specifically in courting young consumers. Disneyland, like McDonald's later, created a seemingly perfect escape — orderly, clean, and predictable. Disney understood that this was the wave of the future in an increasingly unpredictable and volatile world.

Marketing to Children and the Rise of Brand Recognition

The same logic applies to McDonald's: every restaurant offers the same basic menu, the golden arches never change, and the food tastes the same no matter which location you visit. According to Schlosser, Kroc understood that how the food was delivered was just as important — if not more important — than how it tasted. This is a distinctly American concept. One cannot imagine the French or Italians caring more about the packaging of their food than its taste, because those countries have long-standing food traditions. Americans, by contrast, craved consistency and order, and fast food filled that void in the absence of any existing culinary tradition. Kroc himself reportedly said he was really more in show business than in the restaurant business — a statement that reflects a great deal about how Americans relate to food.

In the section devoted to McDonald's approach to young consumers, Schlosser points out that a quarter of a century ago, very few American companies specifically targeted children — McDonald's and Disney were innovators in this area. Kroc understood that attracting children would draw in their parents, who have money to spend and a desire to keep their kids happy, especially in an era when two-income families have less leisure time together. By placing advertisements on television, McDonald's exploited the enormous influence that commercials have on children's desires and, in turn, on their parents' spending habits. This strategy was instrumental in making McDonald's one of the most recognized brands in history.

Conclusion: Manufactured Culture and Consumer Choice

Schlosser does not deny the impressive level of influence that companies like McDonald's and Disney have had on Americans, but he seems to be cautioning that America's lack of a true food culture has led the country down a road toward poor health and obesity. It is important to understand just how deeply McDonald's is ingrained in everyday American life; that understanding goes hand in hand with making more deliberate choices about what we eat. We also need to recognize that choosing to eat fast food is rarely a fully conscious decision, thanks to Kroc's legacy — eating burgers, shakes, and fries feels normal to Americans because of McDonald's extensive and sustained marketing efforts.