Gandhi was addressing a crowd at the OBC Sammelan organised in the national capital
Giving a new twist to the origin of two of the largest conglomerates in the world, Coca-Cola and McDonald’s, Congress President Rahul Gandhi said they were started by a shikanji seller and McDonald’s was started by a dhaba owner.
Speaking at the OBC Sammelan in New Delhi, Gandhi, addressing the crowd asked, who started the Coca-Cola Company. After a pause, he said, “I tell you who that person was. The person who started the Coca-Cola Company was a shikanji (lemonade) seller. He used to sell shikanji in the US. Used to mix sugar with water. His skill and experience were honoured and he got the funding and Coca-Cola Company was created.”
The part in question starts after 11 minutes 44 seconds.
He further questioned the crowd about who started the McDonald’s. After a dramatic pause, he answered, “Dhaba chalata tha.” (He used to run a dhaba.)
Gandhi, later, urged the crowd to show him the dhaba wala who started Coca Cola. “Aap mujhe Hindustan me wo dhaba wala dikha do, wo dhaba wala dikha do, jisne Coca Cola Company banai. Kahan hai wo?” (You show me the dhaba owner in India who started the Coca Cola Company.)
According to the Coca-Cola website, the world famous drink was formulated by John Pemberton, an Atlanta-based pharmacist and a civil war hero. The corporation in its current form was started by Asa Griggs Candler who bought the drink from Pemberton.
McDonald’s as the chain, on the other hand, was started by 52-year-old Ray Kroc who was previously worked as a piano player, a paper cup salesman and a Multimixer salesman.
He was impressed by a small but successful restaurant run by brothers Dick and Mac McDonald and was stunned by the effectiveness of their operation.
They were looking for a new franchising agent and Kroc saw an opportunity. Kroc, in 1955, founded McDonald’s System, Inc., a predecessor of the McDonald’s Corporation, and six years later bought the exclusive rights to the McDonald’s name and operating system.
