Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Blog 3: Your Trusted Friends
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Ambre Reed
In chapter one the essence of the American dream was embodied in the success stories of the restaurateurs. The American dream is the idea that regardless of where you come from one can accomplish and be whatever you want through hard work. The men who started the popular food chains of today were just regular men trying to make a living and changed the scope of the American lifestyle.
“The word ‘can’t’ should not exist… Have a great attitude… Watch the pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves…” is the statement made by Carl Karcher which is probably the motto most of the fast food pioneers lived by. The men that started these companies were not the major corporate executives with college educations that we usually think of. They were “door-to-door salesmen” who had big dreams and made them come true. The start up cost of fast food restaurants were not expensive only necessary was ambition and good food to make it. The owners that took advantage of the opportunities presented to them.
Besides becoming up on large sums of money, these men that came from nothing changed the pace of the American lifestyle. What before was lead by “door-to-door salesmen” caught the eye of Wall Street professionals who invested into these fast food chains and became a major part of the American economy. Fast food companies are not only apart of the United States, but also lots of other countries. The irony is that men who came from almost nothing were able to shape American society through what they eat. I’m sure these men did not imagine there little carts and restaurants would turn into something that shapes the everyday lives of American society and maybe even that of other countries. The stories of these restaurateurs truly represents the American dream.