One of best parts of the IFT Annual Show are the technical field trips they offer. I signed up for 2 very different field trips, one of which was a visit to McDonald’s Corporate Headquarters. The field trip started at 8am and lasted until approximately 1pm. We all met at McCormick and took a bus to famed Hamburger University. After signing in we went upstairs to sit in one of their lecture halls and learn more about their company.
The agenda for the day included tours of the following areas: Hamburger University Campus Office Building The chef’s kitchen The Sensory Lab Discussion of the process for Product development Lunch
Very Short History Lesson: Ray Kroc was born in 1902, bought the franchise from the McDonald’s Brothers in 1961 and died in 1981. During his lifetime, he amassed a fortune of $500 million. Ray Kroc visited the first McDonald's when he was selling multi-mixer milkshake machines. Prior to that he sold paper cups!
Today… * McDonald's is one of the 10 most valuable brands in the US * There are 31,000 stores in 121 countries. About 12 thousand are in the US * McDonald’s serves 2 million customers a day
A few basics about Hamburger University * It sits on 88 acres just outside of Chicago * They train international and US managers of McDonalds restaurants. * 2,400 people go through the university each year * It is the only food service company with its own university * The curriculum is ACE accredited and can be credited towards college or business degrees. * McDonald’s is #37 in Training Magazine’s list of the top 125 companies offering training, learning and development
The programs are varied, from equipment management, operations and leadership. They focus of four different leadership approaches – coaching, consulting, directive and empowering. Team development focusing on forming, storming, norming and informing. Everything they work on focuses on how to get results from others. Every owner operator has growth criteria and under the people and every restaurant must be managed by a Hamburger University graduate.
Next time you visit a McDonald’s, you’ll know that the manager has invested in his/her professional growth and that of their team members.