Ray Kroc dies in 1954 from massive stroke or heart attack

All Rounder

Gone Fishin'
Raymond Kroc was a businessman and philanthropist, most famous for joining the McDonald's restaurant as a franchise agent in 1955. We all know what happened as a result of that, with one of the world's biggest corporations existing today.

But what if it didn't happen?

What if Raymond Kroc died a year prior to him joining the restaurant as a franchising agent? What effects could this have on the restaurant industry and possibly the global economy?
 
Something else takes the place of McDonald's. The fast food industry developed for a number of reasons, suburbanization, the rise in car travel and an increase in the number of working parents being a few, so the industry was going to develop regardless of who was involved. Kroc happened to be at the right place at the right time to capitalize on this. If he's not around, one of the many competitors of the day takes the place of McDonald's. Burger King, In-n-Out and White Castle were among the firms already established and the franchise model had already been developed.
 
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