The McDonaldization of:
If you have ever had a meal in a restaurant (fast-food/formal dining), used an ATM in a bank, spent your vacation at an amusement park or simply browsed through a mall, you have been exposed to McDonaldization. McDonaldization is “the process by which the principles of the fast food restaurant are coming to dominate more and more sectors of America society as well as the rest of the world” (Ritzer, 1996, 1). Nearly ever aspect of today’s society has been affected by McDonaldization including the restaurant business, education, work, healthcare, travel, leisure, dieting, politics and the family (Ritzer, 1996, 1). I observed three East Side Mario’s Restaurant’s establishments while the dinner menu was being served on Saturday evenings between 6pm and 8pm to evaluate the ways in which McDonaldization has affected their company. On January 29th I visited East Side Mario’s in London, Ontario, on February 19th I visited East Side Mario’s in Plano, Texas (I used to hold a job as a server at this location) and on February 26th I visited East Side Mario’s in Orange, California. With the diversity of locations I was able to observe, I compared and contrasted many angles of the East Side Mario’s concept. East Side Mario’s Restaurants Inc. is one of the millions of business’ that has implemented the four principles of McDonaldization, which are: efficiency, calculability, predictability, and control.
With the assistance of Bernard Platt, Vice President of Marie Callender’s Pie Shops, Inc., former Vice President of East Side Mario’s Restaurant, Inc., I will offer a condensed presentation of East Side Mario’s history to get you familiar with the business. East Side Mario’s Restaurants, Inc., is a wholly owned division of Marie Callender’s Pie Shops, Inc. In 1987 a partnership of restauranteurs developed the ESM (for the remainder of this case study I will us the initial ESM to refer to East Side Mario’s Restaurants, Inc.) concept in North Miami, Florida featuring the excitement and energy of a New York City street festival, a blend of outstanding American and Italian food, a place where families felt welcome and comfortable offering exceptional value. Today operating as a separate division of Marie Callender’s Pie Shops, Inc., there are a total of 38 American restaurants – 11 corporate and 27 franchise – and there are over 80 ESM ...
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I believe McDonaldization has invaded every sector of society and as someone who grew up with McDonaldization at every corner of my life I would have to say it’s been productive. It has allowed society to evolve. Every aspect of life has consequences and downfalls; it’s just a matter of dealing with them. I like moving at a fast pace. Why do people have to make friends with every person they encounter? It’s nice to have companionship but not from your server in a restaurant. McDonaldization has served as a directing force, another stage in our history. We adapt to every turn the world makes and change is good. When all of the aspects of McDonaldization are intertwined society runs smoothly. East Side Mario’s was an example of a company that followed all the rules, aimed for a goal and made it. I believe that’s all that it should take in anything you do in life to make it, just follow the rules and reach for your goals. McDonaldization is a positive contribution to society.
Bibliography
Ritzer, George. 1996. The McDonaldization of Society: An investigation into the
changing character of contemporary social life. Thousand Oaks, California: Pine
Forge Press.
East Park Restaurant operates using a hybrid (mixture of vertical and horizontal) organizational structure where Boos reports to the company’s owners. Assistant managers and front...
In today’s world, technology and current norms drive a large portion of everyday life that the vocabulary becomes a common universal language. For example, if you don’t know or understand something, just “google” or ask “siri” about it, write a “blog” about a recent experience, or witnessed the latest “post” that has received over 1.6K “likes”. George Ritzer describes the same thing with the fast food restaurant McDonald’s in his video “The McDonaldization of Society”. He defines McDonaldization as the process by which principles of the fast food restaurant have begun to overflow and dominate all aspects of our world.
The New York Times bestseller Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal is one of the most riveting books to come out about fast food restaurants to date (Schlosser, 2004). Fast food consumption has become a way of life for many in the United States as well as many other countries in the world. The author Eric Schlosser an investigative reporter whose impeccable researching and bold interviewing captures the true essence of the immense impact that fast food restaurants are having in America (2004). Beginning with McDonald’s, the first fast food restaurant, which opened on April 15, 1955 in Des Plaines, Illinois to current trends of making fast food a global realization McDonald’s has paved the way for many fast food restaurants following the same basic ideal that is tasty foods served fast at a minimal cost (2011). Schlosser explains how fast food restaurants have gained substantial market share of the consumers; he also shows that by marketing to children and offering less unhealthful fare, that are purchased from mega-companies which are often camouflaged with added ingredients and cooked unhealthful ways, that these companies are indeed causing irreparable harm to our country (2004).
In the book Fast Food Nation: The Darks Side of the All-American Meal, Eric Schlosser claims that fast food impacts more than our eating habits, it impacts “…our economy, our culture, and our values”(3) . At the heart of Schlosser’s argument is that the entrepreneurial spirit —defined by hard work, innovation, and taking extraordinary risks— has nothing to do with the rise of the fast food empire and all its subsidiaries. In reality, the success of a fast food restaurant is contingent upon obtaining taxpayer money, avoiding government restraints, and indoctrinating its target audience from as young as possible. The resulting affordable, good-tasting, nostalgic, and addictive foods make it difficult to be reasonable about food choices, specifically in a fast food industry chiefly built by greedy executives.
McDonalds. What had started as a humble family owned drive-through has become a multi-million dollar industry. Everywhere one goes, there are reminders of how amazingly widespread this company has become, whether it be seeing McDonald’s famous golden arches on a billboard or hearing the catchy “I’m Lovin’ It” tune in a commercial. But more than this, McDonalds has become part of our global identity– our McWorld.
Schlosser, Eric. Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2001. Print.
The theory of “McDonaldization” describes the way different aspects of the modern world are taking on more and more of the “principles of the fast food restaurant” (Ritzer 1). Obviously, the term stems from the restaurant “McDonald’s” itself; however, McDonaldization is present in many restaurants, industries, politics, religion, and many aspects of social life as well. For example, the music industry has become increasingly McDonaldized. Artists are expected to produce many albums in a certain amount of time, they are expected to look the same and sound the same at any concerts they give, and most popular music is created through Auto Tune and producers cutting and pasting snippets of a song together. The modern idea of going on vacation is similarly McDonaldized. For example, you can go to another country, hire a tour guide to show you as many of the most popular spots as possible, as fast as possible. Your picture is taken in front of certain attractions, you are taken to certain places to eat, and you stay in certain places. It’s very efficient, the cost is easily calculated, and it’s incredibly predictable. For this paper, I will
Ritzer, George. The McDonaldization of Society: An Investigation into the Changing Character of Contemporary Social Life, Rev.Ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press, 1996.
sociologist George Ritzer argues that the relationship between McDonald’s and our society runs even deeper. Beyond its commercial propaganda and symbolism, Ritzer says, McDonald’s is a potent manifestation of the rational processes that define modern society.
Education remains a cornerstone for society as it has for decades. Technology advances, the economy fluctuates, and politics change, but education remains, not only important but imperative for personal and social growth. Yet, as important as it is touted to be, the quality and purpose of learning is often lost in the assembly-line, manufactured process of education that exists today.
A world without the Big Mac, Happy Meals, Chicken McNuggets, and the phrase “I’m lovin’ it,” is almost inconceivable. People around the globe have become accustomed to the high gleaming golden arches that make up the famous emblem for McDonald’s. McDonald’s has grasped the concept that culture flows from power. In this case, the American culture flows through the veins of this fast-food giant and the more that is supplied, the greater the demand. It is no secret that McDonald’s has become one of the world’s largest fast-food retailers. It has become a well known icon that has played a huge part in globalization, with chains located in many different countries… transforming the meaning of fast-food all around the world.
The McDonaldization of Society The McDonaldization of society may sound somewhat misleading but the term actually refers to the rationalization of society. The use of the word "McDonaldization" just simply indicates that the fast food restaurant is one of many great examples of rationality. Ritzer discusses five dimensions that characterize rationality or a rationalized society: efficiency, predictability, calculability, the use and preference of non-human technology, and the control over uncertainty. The five characteristics can be noticed in various aspects of society which exemplifies the extent that rationality affects our society and societies worldwide. In this paper I will summarize Ritzer's discussion of these five characteristics and give possible examples of each dimension.
Have you ever wondered how the business empire of McDonalds was started? With over ninety nine billion served, it was started in 1940 in San Bernardino, California. It was started off as just a Bar-B-Q that served just twenty items. Its first mascot was named “Speedee” They eventually realized that by setting up their kitchen like an assembly line that they could be much more productive and get their food done faster, with every employee doing a specified job; the restaurants production rate became much higher. A milkshake machine vendor came into their small restaurant one day, his name was Ray Kroc. He saw how much potential the restaurant has, so he bought it out and opened one of the first franchises. Within the first year of Ray Kroc buying it, there were one hundred and two locations all around the world. McDonalds currently is one of the largest fast food restaurants in the world and currently has served over sixty four million customers through one of their thirty two thousand sites. It has almost become a way of life for America. Though, McDonalds started off as a small business between two brothers, it grew into one of the largest restaurant franchises in the world and greatly affects our society and how we eat our food.
An evaluation of the restaurant’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats served as the foundation for this marketing plan. The plan focuses on the restaurants marketing strategy, suggesting ways in which it can build on new customer relationships, and development of new food products and targeted to specific customer groups.
“McDonaldization” was a term first used by George Ritzer in 1983, and was used to refer to the movement of society toward a social structure, which is largely influenced by the ideologies of the fast food industry, namely McDonalds. Ritzer divided this process into five dimensions: efficiency, predictability, calculability, substitution of nonhuman technology, and control. (Ritzer 1983) Efficiency when used in the context of “McDonaldization” (Ritzer 1983) refers to a rationalized society that works to find the best, or most efficient, way to do everything. Take for example building a car, it could be built by one person who assembles the entire car but, the fastest and most efficient way to build it would be on an assembly line where many