The company isn't worth millions, but billions—nearly 150 billion USD—and that number keeps climbing every day.

餐廳市值不只百萬，而是以十億為單位，接近 1500 億美元，而這個數字仍每天持續攀升。

Back in the 1950s, the man who would eventually turn McDonalds into an international powerhouse, Ray Kroc, had a lot of big ideas for the restaurant.

追溯回 1950 年代，一個稱為 Ray Kroc ，將麥當勞搖身一變變成國際獨霸一方的存在的男人，在餐廳營運上有很多宏偉的點子。

But perhaps his biggest idea can be summed up in a single word.

但或許這些宏大的點子可以被歸納成一個字。

"Franchise, franchise, franchise, franchise, franchise."

「連鎖、連鎖、連鎖、連鎖、連鎖。」

The food at McDonald's has always sold like hotcakes but once the restaurant started franchising, the world began eating up the brand.

當時在麥當勞所販售的食物經常銷售一空，但當它開始連鎖經營後，世界吃的開始是它的名氣。

So, it's not surprising that for decades, entrepreneurs have been flocking to the golden arches with dreams of opening their own McDonald's.

所以毫無意外地，十年過後，許多業主聞風而至，紛紛想要加入這金色拱門的旗下並經營自己的麥當勞。

But being a franchise owner isn't as easy, or profitable, as you might think.

但當連鎖業主可不如你想的容易或有利可圖。

For starters, buying into a McDonald's franchise is expensive, and if prospective franchisees want to get a piece of the pie, they'll have to bring some heavy coin to the table.

對於白手起家的人而言，投資加入麥當勞旗下相當昂貴，且如果有潛在的加盟業主想要分一杯羹，你必須跟他們協議分紅。

According to Business Insider, the initial investment is between 1 million USD and 2.2 million USD.

根據 Business Insider 所述，最初期的投資金額約落在 100 萬至 220 萬美元之間。

That price tag is pretty broad, but McDonald's notes that these costs are based on the restaurant's location and size.

這個報價區間相當廣，但麥當勞表示這是因為需要將餐廳地點和規模納入考量。

Long story short, it's going to cost a lot more to buy a McDonald's franchise in San Francisco than it is in Saginaw, Michigan.

長話短說，在舊金山的加盟點會比在薩吉諾或密西根成本更高。

Before you take the plunge with Mickey D's and start your own franchise, keep in mind that 40 percent of that initial investment must be cash or nonborrowed assets.

在你跳入麥當勞叔叔的坑並加盟之前，記住，最初期的加盟投資需有百分之 40 需要付現或者非借貸資產。

Whether it's McDonald's or other fast food restaurants, franchise owners can do pretty well, at least, once they get past their initial investment hurdle.

不管是麥當勞或者其他速食餐廳，加盟業主都可以表現得不錯，至少他們都通過了最初期投資資產的門檻。

According to Business Insider, the average McDonald's restaurant takes in around 2.7 million USD a year in sales.

根據「商業內幕」網站，平均一年麥當勞餐廳的營業額約 270 萬元美金。

That may not be quite as high as other well-known eateries, such as Chick-fil-A or Panera Bread, but it's still pretty good.

雖然賺的可能沒有如其他有名的餐廳來得高，例如 Chick-fil-A 或 Panera Bread，但也是相當可觀了。

Of course, some McDonald's franchise owners are going to make more than others, but most franchisees pull in an estimated yearly profit of roughly 150,000 USD.

當然，有些麥當勞加盟業主會賺更多多，但大致上來說加盟商一年的利潤估計為 15 萬美元。

However, after 2.7 million USD in sales, a profit of 150,000 USD isn't even 6 percent.

但是，在總營業額 270 萬美元之下，利潤 15 萬甚至不到其百分之六。

Once you deduct the price of supplies, food, payroll, and about a dozen other costs handed down by the corporation, that's what an average franchise owner is left with.

當你去除耗材、食品、工資還有其他作業中所需的成本，這就是平均一個業主實得的量。

The franchise system has been a major reason for Ronald and his company to celebrate since the 1950s, and it's actually how McDonald's makes a significant portion of its profit.

自 1950 年代以來，這個連鎖加盟體系就一直被 Ronald 還有他的公司所讚頌，而這也是為什麼麥當勞可以獲利如此豐厚的原因。

Plus, franchise owners have historically brought a lot more than money to the table by contributing some of the company's most important innovations.

再者，加盟業主一直也來因幫助公司作出一些很重要的改革，而為公司帶來帶來更多助益。

"The Big Mac, the Filet-O-Fish, even the drive-through concept were all developed by franchisees working within the McDonald's framework."

「大麥克、麥香魚甚至是得來速的概念，都是在麥當勞旗下的加盟業主所想出的概念。」

So while McDonald's franchise owners can make a six-figure salary through their restaurant, the McDonald's corporation is making much, much more.

因此在麥當勞加盟業主可以賺進 6 位數的錢，麥當勞企業本身賺進的遠多出這些。

It all starts with the 45,000 USD franchise fee that owners pay.

這一切要從每位加盟業主要交 45000 美元的加盟費說起。

Then, there's the never-ending monthly service fee that takes 4 percent of a location's gross sales.

然後有永無止盡、每個月都要繳交的服務費，而服務費佔該分店銷售總額的百分之四。

After that, franchisees pay a rental fee each month, which works out to be an average of around 10.7 percent of sales.

在這之後，加盟業主每個月還要再付租金，平均約是銷售額的百分之 10.7。

So basically, McDonald's franchise owners are forking over 15 percent of their sales every month to the Mickey D's machine.

所以基本上，麥當勞加盟業主每個月必須不情願地交出百分之 15 的銷售額給麥當勞叔叔。

This system is extremely profitable for the Golden Arches.

這個營運系統對這金拱門可說是獲益龐大。

So much so that only around 5 percent of the McDonald's locations on the planet are owned by the company.

話至如此，其實地球上只有約百分之五的麥當勞是公司直營店。

The rest are franchise operations that are paid for upfront by the franchise owner.

剩下的都是業主光明正大交錢給麥當勞所經營的加盟店。

According to Reader's Digest, McDonald's raked in 27.4 billion dollars in revenue in 2014, and how that breaks down is pretty telling.

根據《讀者文摘》報導，麥當勞在 2014 年賺進 274 億美元，而細看這收入組成可說相當直觀。

9.2 billion USD of the revenue was from franchised locations and 18.2 billion USD was attributed to company-owned locations.

92 億的利潤是來自於加盟店，而 182 億是直營店所貢獻。

On the surface, it sounds like the company-owned locations are the real money-makers, but that's simply not the case.

表面上，聽起來好像直營店才是真的金雞母，但其實不是這樣。

The cost of running a business, especially a restaurant, can really cut into its profits.

營業的成本，尤其是餐飲業，真的巨大到可以影響到利潤。

At the end of the day, McDonald's only keeps around 16 percent of the revenue its company-owned stores make, but it keeps 82 percent of the revenue franchisees pay out to it.

最終，麥當勞只留了約百分之 16 的利潤還來自於直營店，剩下的百分之 82 都是加盟業主付給他們的。

That all adds up to megabucks for Mickey D's.

這加起來造就了麥當勞叔叔的兆元大業。

So, while owning a franchise should put plenty of food on your table, the McDonald's corporation will take a huge bite out of your bottom line.

所以，就算加盟可以為你賺進大把鈔票，麥當勞企業本身會從中抽走好大一筆的成本。

"It's like they don't care if you make money as long as they make money."

「反正他們根本不在乎你有沒有賺錢，反正他們有得賺就好。」

"What kind of corporation does that?"

「這是怎樣的公司啊？」

Check out one of our newest videos right here!

在這裡看我們最新的影片！

Plus, even more Mashed videos about your favorite restaurants are coming soon.

更多關於你最愛的餐廳影片即將上架。

Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss a single one.

訂閱我們的頻道，按下小鈴鐺才不會錯過任何一支新影片！