2 out of 4 stars
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Chances are that at some point in your life you have been to a McDonalds. You have been there to eat, taken your children to play, and perhaps even worked there after school, but few know what it’s like being behind the scenes in the McDonalds Corporation. In his memoir, Ketchup in My Veins, Robert C. Devine gives readers a glimpse of the mysterious world behind the Golden Arches.
After graduation, a stint in the Navy, and a few different jobs, Devine landed his first job with McDonalds as an Operations Trainee. From there, he progressed rather rapidly up the ranks, working various jobs from managing and consulting to opening stores and international operations, before leaving the corporate life, buying his own store, and becoming a licensee. Ketchup in My Veins is the story of his journey, the experiences he had, and the people he met along the way.
Truth be told, I have never been a big fan of McDonalds, but this book changed the way I look at the extremely successful corporation. Devine began his career with the company in the 60s, before McDonalds had really taken off and grown to what we see today. I have always thought of McDonalds as a corporate machine turning out unhealthy, processed foods and paying low-level workers minimum wage, but after reading Ketchup in My Veins, I have developed a new respect for this fast-food chain and its climb to the top. Also, as an individual with little to no business knowledge, this book provided me with insight into business practices and the complexity of developing and running an international corporation.
I rate Ketchup in My Veins 2 out of 4 stars. This book taught me many things I did not know, and it showed me a different perspective of corporate giants. However, the book was clearly biased, which is understandable given Devine’s satisfaction and success working with the McDonalds Corporation. Most of the information was quite interesting, filled with life lessons and personal anecdotes, but the writing itself was a little dry at times, and it needs a thorough proofread, as the book contains many patches of clumsy wording and grammar, spelling, and structure errors. Also, the format of the eBook was inconvenient, showing two pages at a time, so the reader has to zoom in and scroll in order to see the text well if they are using an e-reader.
I am glad that I read Ketchup in My Veins. It changed my way of thinking and made me consider an opposing side from what I am used to. I would recommend this book to all types of readers, but especially to those who enjoy memoirs and business-related books. However, I would caution that, while it does provide an interesting perspective and is worth the read, it is quite biased.
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Ketchup in my Veins
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