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Hardcover
Publisher: McClelland & Stewart
You might think that an autobiography by the senior chairman of McDonald’s in Canada and Russia would be a modestly boastful, ho-hum business story of expansion and board-room debates, wrapped in some nice reminiscences about his family. You would be very wrong. Because this is George Cohon’s autobiography, and George Cohon (“Call me George, please!”) is not an ordinary man…not in his approach to business and not in his approach to telling his life story.
It’s true that George Cohon is one of the most successful businessmen of his generation and that he’s also one of the most colourful. But the man you’ll meet in the pages of To Russia With Fries is considerably more complex than that description suggests. Here, you’ll encounter a man who not only dreamed the impossible dream of opening a McDonald’s restaurant in the heart of the Soviet Union (of all places), but had the patience, the persistence, and above all the good humour to navigate the maze of obstacles set in his course by a scornful communist bureaucracy. You’ll meet a man whose heart is bigger than his assets (he’s donating all the royalties from this book to charity); a man with a serious sense of fun, who loves (and is frequently on the receiving end of) practical jokes; a man whose life so far has been extraordinary by any standard. You’ll discover a man who is a natural and creative entrepreneur and an acknowledged expert on starting a business in Russia. He’s been there and done that – long before the crash of the Iron Curtain.
From a man who can think and do six things at once (he’s been told he has a mind like a butterfly), comes a very lively and hugely entertaining story that has universal appeal.
| Customer Reviews: |
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| Selling Russians McBelieve |
| Customer Rating: 3 out of 5 |
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A fascinating story of the authors life, concentrating on his efforts trying to sell the concept of fast food to party apparachiks who had almost little idea what a hamburger was and acted as if they cared less. The book is full of the many humerous and incongruous situations that confronted the western businessman in both Soviet and post Soviet Russia, for that reason alone I would recommend the book.
Having said this I found many irritations too in the sections of the book dealing with activities outside Russia. There are a number of self congratulatory stories, where uninformed critics of multinational fast food are roundly dispatched. Meanwhile meaningful discussion of ironies such as corporate fast food super sizing kids and then building them Hospitals is conspicuous by its absence. Whether in this instance, blocking investment that helped black South Africans or raising money for Israel the book at times seems to be all about self righteous application of economic power. The author trained as a lawyer and naturally argues a good defence, but in criticism I found some of this irkesome.
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| Entertaining memoir |
| Customer Rating: 4 out of 5 |
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George Cohon describes how he turned McDonald's into a Russian institution by marketing meat, bread, potatoes and milk in a culture where such fare had long constituted the traditional diet. The lesson here is that when global companies market products that local consumers can readily identify with, the companies are perceived to be of local origin.
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| Interesting and Entertaining |
| Customer Rating: 4 out of 5 |
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Although there is a bit of name dropping and a few self congratulatory stories, overall this book is entertaining and worth reading. Mr. Cohon, while summarizing business dealings which define perseverance, provides interesting perspectives on business management, networking and family values. He also provides a lot of information about the inner political workings of the former Soviet Union.
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| it is an inspiring book. great determination |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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just great!! amazing.
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| Press On---Cohon brings McDonalds to Russia |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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George Cohon gives an honest account of the years of meetings, negotiations, disapointments and eventual victory associated with bringing McDonalds to Russia. A testament to the human side of successful business negotiation.
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