This Fast Food Chain Actually Has A Real Hamburger University

A lot of chefs, including many celebrity chefs, got their formal training from a culinary school. There, instructors taught them things like mise en place (Ree Drummond is a huge proponent of this step), how to make the five French mother sauces, as well as the proper handling of a knife in all cooking situations. If you wanted to head down the traditional path of working in a restaurant kitchen, culinary school is a safe bet. However, if you work at the fast food chain McDonald's, and you decide to further your career with the behemoth company, you will want to attend its Hamburger University (HU).

Yes, it's real, and yes, that's its actual name. It's a training program run by McDonald's that is used to reinforce what they already do excellently, as well as teach new skills to promising employees around the globe. The idea is that they can take what they've learned back to their restaurants, with an aim to take the next steps in growing their responsibilities, while imbuing the students with a newfound sense of pride and expertise in what they do.

The main headquarters for HU is in Chicago, which is also the McDonald's HQ, but there are campuses all across the world, in cities like Hong Kong and Tokyo, Hamburg (fitting!), and even down under in Sydney. Graduates of Hamburger University earn "degrees" in Hamburgerology, which actually has a lot less to do with how to flip burgers and leans instead toward operations and management.

Hamburger University was founded in 1961 (the same year Ray Kroc betrayed the original founders of McDonald's) by Fred Turner, who started at McDonald's as a mere cook. He first held classes in the basement of a suburban McDonald's, just outside of Chicago. From a restaurant basement to seven locations in some of the most widely recognized cities in the world, Hamburger University has grown to incredible proportions, and it has become one of the most selective schools in the world, with an acceptance rate that is lower than most Ivy Leagues.

It appears that at some of the overseas campuses, you might be able to actually apply, but here in the U.S., you are more often awarded the opportunity to attend based on certain promotions within management or your status as a franchisee. If you're part of the former group, and you've worked your way to a management position within the restaurant, it would behoove you to speak up around higher-ups about your desire to learn more about the business and operations associated with running a McDonald's. It also helps if you can demonstrate that you've long been a hard worker, a team player, an effective communicator, and a leader among your peers.

Some of Hamburger University's curriculum can be taught through online learning, though the experience of attending the school and standing in the nearly 500,000 square-foot building that comprises both the University and McDonald's world headquarters is an experience not to be missed. For most, their time at HU extends to five days, where — along with other students from all over the world — they partake in practical classes and lessons that include role-playing real-life situations, as well as coursework in management training, which might include communication best practices for leadership and how to resolve customer dissatisfaction, among many others.

There is also the social and networking aspect of the school. Students at HU don't just learn from their professors; they also learn from the peers around them, so it's important that they keep an open mind whenever someone else is talking about their experiences. And while much of the time spent at HU is taken up with lessons, there is some downtime, where they can grab lunch or dinner or drinks with their peers; after all, they're in Chicago, one of the most exciting cities in the world.

It's also worth mentioning that McDonald's is able to offer these Hamburger University sessions free of charge to its students, and for some, it might also cover travel, like airfare. Attending HU is definitely a life-changing adventure for McDonald's employees, and if past attendees' reviews are anything to go by, it's not to be passed up.