RISE - Menu Monitor

Personnel |
Jan Fields, COO/President
Dan Coudreaut, Culinary Director
Jim Skinner, CEO
Peter J. Bensen, CFO
Mary Dillon, CMO
McDonald’s Corp. promoted Peter J. Bensen to corporate senior vice president. Previously, Bensen served as the company’s
corporate vice president. (Company Release 3/23/07)
McDonald’s Chief Financial Officer Matthew Paull retired. A search for Paull’s replacement will begin soon. (Company Website
8/24/07)
McDonald’s has appointed Neil Golden as senior vice president and chief marketing officer, effective April 1, 2008. Golden
most recently served as vice president of marketing. He replaces William Lamar, who is retiring after more than 20 years with
the company. (Yahoo! Finance 11/29/07, Company Release 11/29/07)
News & Other |
McDonald’s is being sued by a Texas family after they found a dead rat in their salad that they had begun to eat. The lawsuit
seeks $1.7 million in damages. The family claims that they filed the suit after the restaurant had failed to “make things right.”
(Chinadaily.com 10/30/06)
McDonald’s reported for October same-store sales increased 5.5%. (Company Release 11/14/06)
McDonald’s will promote the availability of wireless Internet service at its 7,600 U.S. location by year’s end. The company
originally offered the $2.95-per-two-hours service at more than half of its 13,800 U.S. units and has since rolled it out in 100
additional units every month. McDonald’s said that few consumers were aware of the service. (NRN Daily NewsFax 11/06/06)
DVD vending machines are being installed at select Wendy’s, Meijer and White Castle locations in Columbus, OH. The
vending machines, similar in size to soft-drink vending machines, offer 800 movie titles, with prices ranging from $10-$20.
McDonald’s tested the system in Denver in 2004 and currently has the machines in five units in other cities. (Akron Beacon
Journal 11/01/06)
Trans fats will be reduced or eliminated from some menu items at several chain restaurants. Popeye’s Chicken & Biscuits is
eliminating trans fats from its biscuits and will introduce reducedtrans-fat french fries by year’s end. Burger King will test a
trans-fat-free frying oil within the next 90 days. IHOP is also testing a trans-fat-free oil at its restaurants in the U.S. and
Canada. KFC is using a trans-fat-free soybean oil at its units in New York and Chicago and will roll it out systemwide by spring
of 2007. Souper Salad plans to be trans-fat-free by early December. McDonald’s units in Australia have switched to a frying oil
that is nearly free of trans fatty acids. McDonald’s European units will cut the level of trans fats in frying oil to 2% by 2008.
McDonald’s will use a blend of canola oil and high oleic sunflower oil at these locations. The company did not say whether or
not it would roll out the oil to its U.S. locations. (Los Angeles Times 11/07/06; Reuters 11/07/06; NRN Daily NRN Daily
NewsFax 11/01/06, 11/08/06, 11/10/06)
McDonald’s is offering aerobic activity with its R-Gyms which have replaced the old playplaces at some units. The new play
area offers rope climbing, stationary exercise bikes and other aerobic, sports-oriented activities. (Chicagotribune.com 12/4/06)
McDonald’s reported November same-store sales increased 10.5%. (Company Release 12/8/06)
McDonald’s will voluntarily change its advertising for children. The company is joining forces with nine major foods companies
in an effort to promote healthier diets and lifestyles for children. McDonald’s is the only restaurant that is a member of the
Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative. The initiative also calls for removing advertising for food and beverages in
schools; limiting products in interactive games to healthier ones; eliminating food and beverage product placements from
editorial and entertainment content; and reducing the use of third-party licensed characters in ads that do not meet the group’s
product or message criteria. In related news, the company continues to roll out its R-Gym to U.S. restaurants. The newest
location is in Santa Ana, CA, and 20 more are planned. The R-Gym features stationary bikes, monkey bars, climbing ropes
and a mini basketball court. (Nation’s Restaurant News Online 11/29/06; UPI.com 11/21/06)
©Technomic Information Services 2007, CIS profiles may not be copied or distributed in any print or electronic format without a license or written consent.
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