The Founding Fathers

        In chapter one, "The Founding Fathers", Eric discusses how Carl N. Karcher is one of fast food pioneers. Carl was born in Ohio, and dropped out of school in the 8th grade. He worked twelve to fourteen hours a day on a farm harvesting horses, and milking and feeding cows. At the age of twenty, Carl's uncle offered him a job in California.Carl moved from Sandusky, Ohio, to Anaheim, California. There he met his wife Margaret, who he began a family with. Together they bought a hot dog cart. Carl worked at a bakery while Margaret sold hot dogs. The auto industry was rapidly growing, and so was the population. During this time Carl opened his own drive-in barbecue. Being it after the second world war, it gave him plenty of customers.

            

            Sixty miles east of LA a restaurant was known for its high quality hamburgers, selling it for 15 cents each. It was called "Mcdonald's famous hamburgers". Carl went to check out what Mcdonald's was all about, and was amazed by the long lines realizing it was because of self-service. During this time a lot of other restaurants became influenced by the self-service system, placed like Taco Bell, Dunkin Donuts, and other fast food restaurants opened up and followed the system. The Mcdonald brothers adopter this self serving system because drive-ins were only attracting teenagers with cars, and driving away family business. They figured if there was self-service, people like families would want to walk in. Families walked in and figured they can have restaurant quality food at a cheap price.

           Carl soon opened up a Carl Jr's. which cause him much financial turmoil. He ended up having many financial debts, and got thrown out of his own company. He fought for 2 months to get back his own company, and after putting together a team, he succeeded. When he was interviewed, he was specifically asked how he felt about the changed surroundings. He replied that progress is the way to succeed.