Day 003 - 30 Jun 94 - Page 05

     
     1   Q.   Since the defendants have raised it as an issue in this
              case, can you remember how much money you took on the
     2        first day in Woolwich in 1974?
              A.  Not very much!  Maybe £100, £130, I am not sure, but
     3        darn little.
 
     4   Q.   What was your position at that time?
              A.  I was the manager.  I managed the first restaurant.
     5
         Q.   Were you paid a salary?
     6        A.  I was paid a salary, yes.
 
     7   Q.   How many McDonald's restaurants are there within the
              United Kingdom now, 20 years later?
     8        A.  521.
 
     9   Q.   At what date did you become the head of the United Kingdom
              company?
    10        A.  I became the chief executive in 1986, spring time
              1986.
    11
         Q.   What has happened to Mr. Bob Rhea?
    12        A.  Bob has retired.  He spends the majority of his time
              split between the UK and the United States, enjoying his
    13        grand-children.
 
    14   Q.   This, my Lord, is necessarily hearsay evidence but perhaps
              it is not objectionable.  It is a little bit of history.
    15        When was McDonald's founded?
              A.  1955.
    16
         Q.   By whom?
    17        A.  Mr. Ray Kroc.
 
    18   Q.   K-R-O-C?
              A.  That is correct.
    19
         Q.   In what circumstances?
    20        A.  Mr. Kroc was a salesman.  He received an order for
              equipment from a restaurant in California called
         McDonald's operated by two brothers.  Being a curious sort
              of fellow, the order being extremely large, something far
    22        bigger than he had ever seen before, he travelled to the
              west coast and had a look at this business; talked to the
    23        brothers about this being a franchisable concept.  They
              really were not interested in doing it themselves.  He
    24        further talked to them and came to an agreement that he
              would be their franchising agent.  Subsequently, he came
    25        back to Chicago and opened the very first restaurant in
              Des Plaines, Illinois. 
    26 
         Q.   Since that time, Mr. Preston, so far as you are aware, has 
    27        the nature of the business, that is to say, the nature of
              the products that it sells and the way in which they are
    28        sold significantly changed in all that time?
              A.  It is has gotten busier and bigger, but basically we
    29        remain a family oriented, limited menued, quick service in
              every respect.
    30
         Q.   In the world at large, as we can see from the annual