Raymond Albert "Ray" Kroc (October 5, 1902 – January 14, 1984)
Businessman Ray Kroc was responsible for turning McDonald’s into the world’s
dominant fast-food chain after buying the business for $2.7 million in 1961. He
was the owner of the San Diego Padres baseball team from 1974 until 1984.
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Sweden and France were the first countries to form the buffet concept. The
smorgasbord originated in Sweden as a way to feed hungry out-of-town
visitors. The offering started out small with just bread and butter, which in
the Swedish language translates to “smorgasbord”. The menu grew to
include salted fish, eggs and boiled vegetables, moving on to cold cuts,
warm entrees and salads, ending the spread with dessert and coffee. The
French offered a more refined display featuring lavish “buffet” tables.
The Swedish folks brought their smorgasbord to America at the 1939
World’s Fair in New York. The sizable selection of food was located
atop a rotating platform inside the Three Crowns restaurant (below).
The smorgasbord at Three Crowns went on to inspire other buffet-style
restaurants in the 1950’s.
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Burger Chef was a fast-food restaurant chain that began operating in 1954 in Indianapolis, Indiana. It expanded throughout the United States, and, at its peak
in 1973, had 1,050 locations. The chain featured several signature items, such
as the Big Shef and Super Shef hamburgers.
In 1982, the General Foods Corporation, then-owners of the Burger Chef name trademark, divested itself of the restaurant chain, gradually selling to the owners
of Hardee’s. The final restaurant to carry the Burger Chef name closed in 1996.
Raymond Albert "Ray" Kroc (October 5, 1902 – January 14, 1984)
Kroc is responsible for turning McDonald’s into the world’s dominant fast-
food chain after joining the company in 1954. Between the end of the First
World war and the early 1950s he tried his hand at a number of trades
including paper cup salesman, pianist, jazz musician, band member and
radio DJ at Oak Park radio station WGES.
In 1955, Ray Kroc opened the first McDonald’s in Des Plaines, IL.
and bought out the McDonald’s brothers in 1961.
Colonel Harland David Sanders (September 9, 1890 – December 16, 1980)
Colonel Sanders was a businessman and entrepreneur, best known for building
his Kentucky Fried Chicken cafe into a fast-food empire. Prior the that, he had
worked as a farmer, salesman, steamboat pilot, and railroad fireman. He sold
KFC to John Y. Brown Jr., Jack Massey, and a group of investors for $2 million
in 1964.
