Robert Rhea, McDonald's executive helped introduce fast-food giant to UK
Matthew Kruk
McDonald's executive helped introduce fast-food giant to UK
Aurora native was early franchisee
By Joan Giangrasse Kates, Special to the Tribune
6:57 PM CST, December 19, 2010
Robert Rhea's entry into McDonald's Corp. seemed like a minor event.
It was 1960. A fraternity brother from Drake University, Fred Turner,
told the Aurora native and East Aurora High School graduate that he
should check out a training program with a local company that was
looking to take "fast food" to new heights.
A year later, Mr. Rhea opened the company's 174th restaurant outside
Cleveland. A few years after that, he was the owner of about a
half-dozen franchises throughout Ohio and Pennsylvania.
"Bob epitomized the early leaders of our company," said Turner, Ray
Kroc's successor, who himself rose from grill operator in the early days
to senior chairman in 1990. "He was passionate about running great
restaurants and committed to delivering the McDonald's experience around
the world."
Mr. Rhea, 78, died Tuesday, Dec. 14, at Aurora St. Luke's Medical Center
in Milwaukee of complications related to a recent heart surgery.
Praised by his McDonald's colleagues for his marketing skills, Mr. Rhea
successfully took the American iconic fast-food giant to the United
Kingdom, earning him accolades in the 1986 book "McDonald's: Behind the
Arches."
"McDonald's owes a debt of gratitude to Bob," said McDonald's CEO Jim
Skinner. "He eagerly embraced the potential of our brand and helped us
achieve it through his ingenuity, optimism and unwavering focus on the
customer."
Indeed, if not for Mr. Rhea's innovations and groundbreaking approach in
1974 when opening the company's first U.K. restaurant outside London,
McDonald's may never have caught on with the skeptical Brits. Until
then, the company enjoyed limited success in other European countries.
Recognizing that his competition wasn't Wimpy - the gold standard then
in British burger joints - was the first step.
"Bob knew who he was up against - and it was 'Mom,'" said his
brother-in-law, Paul Preston, a retired top executive with McDonald's,
whom Mr. Rhea met after hiring the then 16-year-old to work part time at
his first Ohio franchise. "He knew he'd have to convince parents that
McDonald's was the kind of place to bring their family for a wholesome
meal and not rob the bank."
So Mr. Rhea adapted the menu, adding tea and biscuits. He dressed up the
decor with chandeliers and oak paneling. He hired a full-time
landscaper.
Then he hit the airwaves.
Through 30-second commercials - featuring jingles, anagrams and quick
cuts to smiling customers' faces - Mr. Rhea reached a much broader
audience that quickly embraced the American-style hamburger.
"We knew immediately that our ads were working when sales numbers began
going through the roof," recalled Preston, who worked with Mr. Rhea in
the United Kingdom.
Mr. Rhea retired in 1986 as CEO of McDonald's Restaurants Ltd., leaving
more than 250 franchises throughout the United Kingdom - either
operating or in the planning stages - as his legacy within the company.
"He was an innovator, a groundbreaker and a great friend," Turner said.
Other survivors include his wife, Ida; two sons, Robert E. Jr. and
Charles; and three grandchildren.
Mass is scheduled for 11 a.m. Monday at Holy Name Cathedral, 735 N.
State St., Chicago.
Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune