10 Things Mcdonald's Must Do to Get Its House in Order
By Bruce Horovitz, USA TODAY
The Golden Arches aren't going away. And poor Ronald McDonald will continue to muster a smile.
McDonald's in Hinsdale, Ill., looks cheery, but the chain has problems.
By Stephen J. Carrera, AP
But with a new CEO on tap, just about everything else at McDonald's (MCD) is on the table. Or, perhaps, soon could be flying off the table.
Experts say that James Cantalupo, who takes over for Jack Greenberg on Jan. 1, better have an appetite for change. Greenberg's tenure was cut short last week following several years of disappointing performance.
File
Cantalupo
The big question remains: What can Cantalupo do to fix McDonald's? The 47-year-old chain, with 30,000 restaurants in 121 countries, appears to have lost its way. Its stock has tumbled. Same-store sales are mostly down. The chain that virtually invented fast food has failed to innovate for years, industry analysts say.
Who'd have imagined three or four decades ago that eating at McDonald's could become for some their fast-food last resort instead of a first choice?
For the moment, it appears that Cantalupo — who declined interview requests — isn't coming in with a recipe in hand to turn around Mickie D's. But the need to reinvent McDonald's seems more crucial than ever. "No one wants to admit to eating at McDonald's," says Alan Hickok, analyst at U.S. Bancorp Piper Jaffrey.
Even worse, the fast-food giant ranked dead last overall in a massive national polling of nearly 50,000 frequent eaters from 70 fast-food chains. Sandelman & Associates, a fast-food consulting firm, did the poll late last year. "It's embarrassing," says Bob Sandelman, who oversaw the survey. "Most consumers have a pretty low perception about food at McDonald's."
Cantalupo's top job will be to fix that. Plenty of folks are only too happy to help him on his upcoming mission to mend McDonald's. USA TODAY talked to experts — including restaurant industry executives, analysts, consultants
The Golden Arches aren't going away. And poor Ronald McDonald will continue to muster a smile.
McDonald's in Hinsdale, Ill., looks cheery, but the chain has problems.
By Stephen J. Carrera, AP
But with a new CEO on tap, just about everything else at McDonald's (MCD) is on the table. Or, perhaps, soon could be flying off the table.
Experts say that James Cantalupo, who takes over for Jack Greenberg on Jan. 1, better have an appetite for change. Greenberg's tenure was cut short last week following several years of disappointing performance.
File
Cantalupo
The big question remains: What can Cantalupo do to fix McDonald's? The 47-year-old chain, with 30,000 restaurants in 121 countries, appears to have lost its way. Its stock has tumbled. Same-store sales are mostly down. The chain that virtually invented fast food has failed to innovate for years, industry analysts say.
Who'd have imagined three or four decades ago that eating at McDonald's could become for some their fast-food last resort instead of a first choice?
For the moment, it appears that Cantalupo — who declined interview requests — isn't coming in with a recipe in hand to turn around Mickie D's. But the need to reinvent McDonald's seems more crucial than ever. "No one wants to admit to eating at McDonald's," says Alan Hickok, analyst at U.S. Bancorp Piper Jaffrey.
Even worse, the fast-food giant ranked dead last overall in a massive national polling of nearly 50,000 frequent eaters from 70 fast-food chains. Sandelman & Associates, a fast-food consulting firm, did the poll late last year. "It's embarrassing," says Bob Sandelman, who oversaw the survey. "Most consumers have a pretty low perception about food at McDonald's."
Cantalupo's top job will be to fix that. Plenty of folks are only too happy to help him on his upcoming mission to mend McDonald's. USA TODAY talked to experts — including restaurant industry executives, analysts, consultants