Two all Beef Patties and Special Sauce

For my first reading reflection I chose to read “Grinding it Out” the Ray Kroc story.  Here are my responses for the requested information.

1)         I was most surprised by who Ray Kroc was.  As a kid I remember seeing his plaques in McDonald’s that I visited, but I never understood why.  I admired his knack for never giving up; he had an uncanny ability to continually take risks.  I least admired his ability to move from one marriage to another.  Mr. Kroc encountered loads of adversity and failure.  For the adversity, depending on the scenario he did not go on the defensive.  For his failures he got up and tried again.

2)      He was excellent at not trying to fit a square peg in a round hole.  He could easily determine areas for efficiency improvements.  He could also size up his personnel and knew exactly what they were good at.

3)      I was confused as to why the author included stories near the end of the book about the San Diego Padres.  I understood that Mr. Kroc was telling the story of how he bought the team, but it never really made much sense. 

4)      Here are my two questions:

a.       Given the obesity epidemic in our country, would you change the McDonald’s food delivery system to delay the creation of fast food?

b.       Your biography clearly indicates that you missed a lot of family time to provide and see McDonald’s grow.  What effect did that have on the raising of your children?  

5)      Well considering the title “Grinding It Out”, I would say the opinion of hard work was actually putting in all of your time, talent, and treasure to grow a product that you believe in.  Not merely showing up for a shift but arriving early and staying late.  Producing ideas even on off time.