This short informative speech paper profiles Ray Kroc, the entrepreneur behind the McDonald's fast-food empire. It traces Kroc's varied early career, his discovery of the McDonald brothers' burger stand in San Bernardino, California, and his subsequent franchise deal that launched one of the most recognizable brands in the world. The paper highlights the key qualities that drove Kroc's success — perseverance, clear vision, commitment to cleanliness and quality, and the courage to act on his convictions — and draws a comparison between Kroc's assembly-line approach to fast food and Henry Ford's revolution in automobile manufacturing.
The paper demonstrates effective use of the exemplification technique in persuasive speaking: it selects specific, verifiable facts and anecdotes — Kroc's age and health at 52, the original 15-cent burger price, the number of outlets at his death — to ground an abstract quality (perseverance) in concrete, memorable reality. The implicit comparison to Henry Ford further elevates Kroc's significance by placing him within a broader historical narrative of American industrial innovation.
The paper follows a classic speech structure: an attention-grabbing opening statistic, a biographical narrative moving chronologically through Kroc's life, a pivot to analytical reflection on the reasons for his success, and a concluding characterization of Kroc as a quintessential American entrepreneur. This arc mirrors the standard introduction–body–conclusion format expected in an undergraduate public speaking course.
Every five hours, somewhere in the world, a new McDonald's fast-food franchise is opening. Today, the McDonald's brand name is the second most recognizable name in the world, next only to Coca-Cola (Fermano). Do you know the man behind this astounding success story?
His name was Ray Kroc, and he was a simple man with a simple plan — but he had what it takes to be a successful person: tons and tons of perseverance. As Thomas Edison, the inventor of the light bulb, famously illustrated, failure is merely a stepping stone to success. Edison reportedly failed over 9,000 times before perfecting his invention, later remarking, "I was glad I found 9,000 ways of not inventing the bulb!" Kroc embodied that same relentless spirit. His own motto captured it perfectly: "Luck is a dividend of sweat. The more you sweat, the luckier you get."
Kroc tried his hand at many different occupations over the course of his life. He drove an ambulance at the age of 15, then went on to work as a paper cup salesman, a real estate broker, a piano player, and a milkshake mixer salesman.
By 1954, he was 52 years old and hardly a picture of health. He had been plagued for years by arthritis and diabetes, and had lost his bladder and most of his thyroid gland. Yet he had not lost his dogged determination or his belief that the best was still ahead of him ("Ray Kroc," biography.com). He was still searching for the idea that would transform the restaurant business when opportunity finally came knocking.
The turning point came when Kroc received an order for eight milkshake mixers from a small restaurant in San Bernardino, California. Intrigued by what a small restaurant would want with so many mixers, he decided to travel across the country to see the operation for himself.
When he saw the two brothers, Mac and Dick McDonald, running their small, squeaky-clean burger restaurant — selling 15-cent burgers, French fries, and milkshakes produced in a fast, assembly-line style — he knew he had found exactly what he was looking for ("Ray Kroc," biography.com). The very next day, Kroc made a franchise deal with the McDonald brothers.
Ray Kroc is indeed the archetypical American entrepreneur: a man who seized an idea and proceeded to implement it in the best possible way (Pepin). His story is a testament to the power of perseverance — proof that it is never too late to find your defining idea and pursue it with everything you have.
Fermano, Joe. N.d. "Persistence: Positive Quotes & Stories 2." Positive Attitude Institute [online] [cited May 2, 2003].
"People of the Century: Ray Kroc 1902–1984." N.d. [online] [cited May 2, 2003].
"Ray Kroc (1902–1984)." 2001. Biography.com [online] [cited May 2, 2003].
Pepin, Jacques. 2001. "Burger Meister: Ray Kroc." TIME 100 Builders & Titans [online]. Time.com [cited May 2, 2003].
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