Taco Bell Enlists Army of Ronald McDonalds

I'm sure McDonald's Operators will find this irritating but it is a clever ploy. And it
just might backfire. Just like the billion $$$ McDonald's spent trying to sell McCafe
espresso drinks boosted sales at Starbucks - spending millions mentioning  Ronald
McDonald just might remind consumers of a guy they don't see that often anymore.
  
 Ronald's Sell Taco Bell Breakfast
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Health Care Special Report by Nations Restaurant News

Health Care Special Report
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Want To Grow Your Franchise? Focus On Franchisee Profits

Popeye's Gets More Good Press - Restaurant Industry Insight
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Carl's Jr. CEO on Obama's Overtime-Pay Boomerang

Andy Puzder: Obama's Overtime-Pay Boomerang - WSJ.com
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What's Next for McDonald's?

What's next for McDonald's? - NRN
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$12 Burger Anchors New Swiss McDonald's Menu

$12 Burger Anchors New Swiss McDonald's Menu - βurgerβusiness
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How the Average MCD Makes Twice as Much as BK

Bloomberg Businessweek Reports
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Fast Food Deals Promote Cheap Menu and Slash Profits

           To Discount or Not To Discount - QSR Mag

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Operation's Expert / McDonald's CFO Gets Raise

McDonald’s CFO Gets Salary Bump - WSJ.com

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Labor Union Demonstrations

Now THIS Is How You Respond To A Pesky Union!
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Analysts: Borrow More $ - Give it to McDonald's Shareholders

 McDonald's debt capacity seen reviving stock
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McDonald's COO Retiring

Tim Fenton leaving after 41 years.
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All About ‘Vicarious Liability’ lawsuits

Having promised not to focus too much on the union driven lawsuits, this article 
is very informative on the legal and political issues involved.

3 ways franchisors can avoid ‘vicarious liability’ lawsuits - Franchising - NRN
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Poll: Don't Hurt Jobs W/ Minimum Wage

"Despite the attention in Washington, only 49% of poll respondents said the issue would
be a factor in which congressional candidates they vote for in November."

L.A. Times Reports
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Look For the Union Label

 

We won't get distracted by the phoney lawsuits filed by labor groups against McDonald’s. 
Backed by the S.E.I.U. and coordinated with the White House these suits will likely go
nowhere but will generate some negative publicity for the industry. Things should quiet
down after the November elections but right now it’s all about income inequality. This 
does prove that, with anti-business leftists, it’s a waste of time and money to try to 

“Get a Place at the Table”.

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MCD @ Bank of America Conference

It's certainly appropriate to have a company's Chief Financial Officer at an investor
conference to discuss the financial side of the business. But, in this case, the McDonald's
CFO is the sole presenter and discusses a broad range of questions about operations, 
kitchens, staffing, marketing, and many other disciplines where he has no experience .

This guy's the Swiss army knife of CFOs!

While the opening comments are pretty dry the Q+A with the analysts is always
interesting and franchisees can learn where the corporate guys think they're taking
the company.

Here's the conference webcast, listeners have to register with a name and an E-mail.
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Popeyes CEO on Franchisees

"We started listening to them. I know that sounds simplistic, but we were at a stage where,
in our quarterly meetings with franchisees, the company told them stuff and didn't listen"

Popeyes CEO Refocuses on Franchisees - WSJ.com
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Restaurants Prepare for Changes in Credit Card Technology

Major credit card companies have announced incentives for merchants to change their point-of-sale systems by October 2015 

NRN Reports
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Expansion of Overtime Pay

Obama Will Seek Broad Expansion of Overtime Pay - NYTimes.com
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The McSpin Is In

"McDonald’s can “probably get more aggressive” with its borrowings and still maintain its
credit rating, Bensen said. In response to a question, he said that McDonald’s could raise its 
target of returning $5 billion in cash to shareholders if the company increased its leverage."

McDonald's jumps as CFO discusses returning cash - Bloomberg
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The Proliferation of the Coffee Café

The Proliferation of the Coffee Café

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2014: A Tough Year for Commodity Prices

"prolonged droughts in California and Brazil, porcine epidemic diarrhea virus outbreaks,
  and instability in Ukraine have all conspired to make 2014 a food buyer’s nightmare. "

Commodities Watch: 2014: A tough year for commodity prices - NRN
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Employee training goes mobile | QSRweb.com

It's unknown if digital ordering and payment will speed things up at QSRs but employees
using their smart phones for training purposes? That's kind of interesting.

Employee training goes mobile | QSRweb.com
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Why Are So Many Restaurant Chains Filing For Bankruptcy?

Why Are So Many Restaurant Chains Filing For Bankruptcy? - Restaurant Industry Insight
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Panera Bread: Why The Best Days Still Lay Ahead

Panera and McDonald's have some similar challenges. The article below lays out the 
Panera story. From the article:

"Mr. Shaich is one of the best kinds of CEOs. He is a founder with a long term vision 
who focuses on the best possible customer service believing profits will follow."

Panera Bread: Why The Best Days Still Lay Ahead - Seeking Alpha:
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Snacks: A Growth Opportunity for Restaurants

Technomic Reports
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Restaurants Expected to Pay More for Beef, Other Commodities to Take a Hit

Restaurant Hospitality Reports
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Wendy's Expects to Complete Refranchising Initiative in Q1

Wendy's expects to complete refranchising initiative in Q1 | QSRweb
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