Review of The Founder (2016) by Nitpicker . — 09 May 2018

The ugly truth of how this company expanded.

What I liked.

- Keeps your interest all the way through.

- Well acted. I enjoyed Nick Offerman and John Carroll Lynch the most.

- Locations, actors, even the fast food wrappers all look authentic.

Nitpicks.

- Michael Keaton's trademark mannerisms.

Final Thoughts.

"To get where Arnold got in life you have to be willing to step on a few fingers and step on a few friends and screw a few people over. You don't get to that level without that." - Gregg Valentino from Bigger, Stronger, Faster.

Only pieces of garbage make it big in this world. Ray Kroc stole McDonald's from the McDonald brothers. He stole their name, their rights, their speed delivery system, and their design. He even steals his partner's wife. And then set up a McDonald's across the street from the original owners and puts them out of business. The brothers wanted to leave the restaurant to the founding employees but Kroc couldn't even let them have that.

This wasn't his first attempt at franchising. According to the book "In N Out Burger", Kroc tried to franchise/take over Carl's Jr. prior to convincing the McDonald brothers.

I was surprised they gave Ray Kroc a personal tour of the original restaurant in the first place. But I guess they weren't too worried because other people tired to copy their business and failed. They seemed like two good guys with good hearts and were too trusting. There should be more people like that and less Ray Kroc's in this world.

The McDonald brothers feared that quality would eventually diminish with the expansion of too many restaurants. And they ended up being right. Only 20 years ago, the biscuits were made by hand early in the morning and the eggs made on the grill. Today, the biscuits, eggs, and whatever else, come in plastic bags that you microwave. I'm sure there's more than milk lurking in the shakes too. I wonder what McDonald's would have been like today if the brothers were in charge.

Ray Kroc famously masterminded the franchising system by bulldozing over anyone who got in his way. How he lived with himself, I don't know.