Ray Kroc Trivia Questions

The Big Mac was created by franchisee Jim Delligatti in 1967, years after Kroc stepped back from daily operations. Kroc was a salesman, not a chef.

Kroc actually graduated from Oak Park and River Forest High School in Illinois. He briefly attended college but left after one semester.

After buying the McDonald brothers out in 1961, Kroc forced them to close their original San Bernardino restaurant and banned them from using their own name.

Kroc actually enjoyed drinking and even owned a San Diego Padres baseball team, where beer was sold. McDonald's never sold alcohol to maintain a family-friendly image.

The McDonald's chain was started by Richard and Maurice McDonald in 1940. Kroc only joined in 1954 as a franchise agent after being impressed by their milkshake machines.

In the 1920s and '30s, Kroc played piano in nightclubs and even for a radio station. He later joked it helped him sell milkshake machines by entertaining clients.

That location is indeed Kroc's first franchise, but it was demolished in 1984. A replica museum exists on the same site, but the original building is gone.

Before McDonald's, Kroc was a successful salesman for Lily Tulip Cup Company, selling paper cups for over 20 years. This taught him the food-service business.