McDonalds goes bust!

So what if the great hamburger chain, McDonalds, actually went bankrupt long before they made their first million dollar profit?

Discuss.
 
Another hamburger chain takes the role. More likely several, but we will not see a McDonaldless world. The basic business model of McDonald's MkI was already being developed, the shop was just especially good at it. The true stroke of genius was applying the franchise model familiar from the booming motel business to the fast food world. That was fairly unique and if it had not come about then, there's a good chance it might take a while till an alternate Ray Kroc figures it out.

What we would be more likely to see rise to greater prominence would be local and regional diner chains. Without the franchising model, the business will be more capital-iontensive and industrial in scope, and the resulting companies will be wholly-owned restaurant chains with large payrolls and significant real-estate value. That makes for much slower growth. Different diners would dominate cities or states, and regional cuisines might retain stronger influence if places like the hilariously offensive 'Coon Chicken Inn' are not driven out of business by the nationwide competitor. But given economies of scale and customer recognition are still in play, family operations will be squeezed as per OTL.

The 'bigtime' prize in this game will be contracts with Amtrak and Pan Am, servicing railway stations and airport hubs. They will want a reliable quality supplier and a standardised, universally acceptable menu, so there's a good chance they'll lean on the management to put their preferred chain in place. For the heck of it, let's say it's Wendy's. That one, in hot competition with whichever chain decides to service US forces abroad, will be the ambassador of US fast food abroad as it begins opening outlets at overseas airports. Again, the business model does not lend itself to quick growth, so very likely the first big players in national markets overseas will be local chains either basing themselves on the American style (like Finland's 'Hesburger' and the sadly defunct German 'Heiße Hexe') or applying its business model to their own outlets (like the quintessentially German chicken restaurant 'Wienerwald').

And we would, of course, need to find a different moniker for the excesses of the global race for the lowest common denomiator. Since the '-burger' suffix had already become productive by the 30s, I think irt would make a good candidate regardless. Hence, instead of McWorld and McTV, we would have Investaburger markets, Romantoburger films and Adburger politics deplored the world over.
 
Pends on the reason WHY the go broke.

If it was poor management then another chain will take over. If obesity had become socially un-acceptable - like public drunkiness, driving under influence etc, then maybe a chain in health food migh appear. Or preferably people stick to eating locally grown and home made foods. Less obesity resulting diseases imo!
 
Ah, guys, I'm not sure but what you miss the point.

Maybe it takes someone who actually lived through the era, but MacDonalds was a paradigm breaking business. In retrospect, you can say 'sure it was inevitable', but I'm not at all sure it was.

I grew up in Saskatoon, SK in the 60's and 70's. Before MacDonalds there was NOTHING like it. Yes, there were lots of drive in burger joints - but the only one that made a profit and stayed in business was A&W, and it was very much the 'car hop' kind of drive in. Cars full of teens (boys in one car, girls in another) would drive around the parking lot yelling at each other as a weird dating ritual (this was my older brother's cohort, when I was a pre-teen, so all dating rituals looked wierd at the time, but even so...) Grandpa, when he came to town would take us out for a treat. This was NOT A MACDONALDS family friendly sit-down fast food restaurant.

Also, all (I think) the drive-ins closed down all winter.

Yes, KFC existed. Yes, Fish and Chip joints existed. In both cases, they were almost all takeout.

Saskatoon, population 150,000 or so at the time was considered JUST large enough for ONE MacDonalds.

Today's A&W's and KFC's are VERY different from what they were back then, as a direct result of MacDonalds.


IIRC, Burger King and Wendy's at least, grew into what they are today by borrowing large chunks of the Kroc's business model.
 
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Steer In the Steer Inn

I'm old enough to remember that there were as many Steer Inns as McDonalds. Then Steer Inn vanished, sometime in the early 60's. Had McDonalds gone bust, Steer Inn no doubt would have survived.
 
I'm old enough to remember that there were as many Steer Inns as McDonalds. Then Steer Inn vanished, sometime in the early 60's. Had McDonalds gone bust, Steer Inn no doubt would have survived.
I'm sure it might, but... Was it then a family-friendly fast food restaurant chain? I think that MacDonalds may have created that whole market?
 
If obesity had become socially un-acceptable - like public drunkiness, driving under influence etc, then maybe a chain in health food migh appear. Or preferably people stick to eating locally grown and home made foods. Less obesity resulting diseases imo!

I think you are more talking about the lack of personal responsibility for one's actions.
 
McDonald's invented the mass produced burger without this idea them then many such bussinesses abandon it and then we have alot of smaller healthier fast food chains.
 
Take a look at Marriott Corp as a potential alternate player:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marriott_Corp.
As you can see, it started out in the food business and then moved into hotels, gaining significant experience at standardizing menus along the way. The company has business savvy and government contacts, and they've seen how tastes nationwide don't necessarily vary enough to make a difference in franchising from place to place.
One can't be sure that the culture would be much different, but it's not out of the question to consider that providing meals to soldiers and school children before going on in an ATL to dominate the fast food market MIGHT just make them more socially responsible.
 
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