The McDonalds operations manual has plenty to teach anyone going into franchising about how to become a big success.

There is no denying that the McDonalds operations manual is an example of how to set up a franchising dynasty that can dominate an industry.  When it comes to franchise operations, there may be no other interventional franchising empire that has achieved such a high level of efficiency and finding ways to make operations from Boston to Hong Kong run like a well oiled machine.

The image of the company that customers have as a happy place where they get food they like is one that is crafted from the McDonalds operations manual on up.  This image doesn’t just fall out of the sky.  It comes from discipline all levels of the operation. It take a careful mix of discipline and tender loving care from the franchising company mother ship to keep thousands of McDonald’s restaurants in line but happy and working hard at the same time.

That discipline is laid into the McDonalds operations manual so that franchise owners know well how to create an army of hard workers who are also happy workers.  It is no secret that people working at a McDonalds make low wages and that there is high turnover because of that.  The McDonalds operations manual lays out a scheme to keep those low paying positions filled with good people who serve customers in a way that brings them back for more McDonald’s food over and over and over again.

Its all about offering customers consistency

A fact of life that most people accept the same way they accept that the sun comes up and mosquitoes bite in the summer is that when you go to a McDonalds, it will always be the same experience. That too is a corporate ethic that McDonalds made a cornerstone of their operation when they set out to franchise the company. That consistency is something that the McDonalds operations manual stipulated down to the color of the bathroom tissue and the type of light bulbs to put in.

It doesn’t matter whether you go in a McDonalds in Florida, Idaho, Canada or Saudi Arabia, you will see a restaurant that is identical to every other McDonalds in the world in almost every way.  There are adjustments made for culture in their international stores but the McDonalds operations manual puts a huge priority on making sure that when customers come to McDonalds, they get exactly what they are expecting in terms of good food, a clean environment and helpful employees.

That consistency is a huge reason why the McDonalds operations manual has generated such success for the chain. Truck drivers know that if they want a good cup of coffee, go to McDonalds.  Parents know that the food they get for their kiddos at McDonalds will satisfy the little tykes and that it is fundamentally a worthwhile meal for the buck, they can trust McDonalds.

That is why for millions of customers “going to McDonalds” is as much a part of life as going to see Grandma or the weekly trip to the grocery store.  And that is why it is a good move for any hopeful fast food franchising chain to study the McDonalds operations manual to learn the secrets of amazing success that can be found there.