Chapter 1, Yes, There is a McDonald Summary and Analysis

There really is a McDonald, Richard J. McDonald. When McDonald's is going to close its original 1955 store in Des Plaines, IL, the topic of Richard McDonald arises because people become interested in the store's history. The two brothers have been forgotten in McDonald's lore. Ray Kroc's first McDonald's is not the first; the credit goes to Richard and his older brother Maurice, or Dick and Mac, as they were known. They invent McDonald's but lack drive and organizational skill. However, they discover fast-food, not Kroc.

The McDonald brothers are unemployed in the early 1930s, looking to make it big. Their cross-country search for work takes them through Hollywood, among other places. In 1937, Californians are driving more and more automobiles. Some have already conceived of curb-side service, and the first carhop drive-in...