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Predictions for 2015 - Fortune

7 CEOs who will be in the hotseat in 2015
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McCafe Turns the Corner?

McDonald's Opens The Corner In Australia - Business Insider


U.K. Daily Mail covers The Corner 
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A Lttle Help? ..... Some great comments here!

Can McDonald's Operators help us understand this 2015 McDonald's Corporate strategy:

"Re-ignite entrepreneurial spirit of three-legged stool"

I'm familiar with the three-legged stool but what does it have to do with entrepreneurship?
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A Franchisee Friendly Franchise Company!

Vantage Hospitality Issues Unprecedented Bill of Rights for Hotel Franchisees
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Year-End Tax Changes

From Concannon & Miller
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So Long Franchising?

NLRB files charges against McDonald's - Business Journals
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For Those Who Want to Binge on 2015 Predictions

2015 Food Forecast Roundup - βurgerβusiness
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McDonald's a Joint-Employer?

This isn't about McDonald's - it's about unionizing the entire franchised industry
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Six Top QSR Stories for 2014 from QSRWeb

QSRs shift models to 'go where the consumers are' - QSRWeb
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Restaurant Industry Events of 2014

Important restaurant industry events of 2014 in an infographic - NRN
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Pal's Showcases Its Differences

Pal's Showcases Its Differences - βurgerβusiness:

“According to our research, Pal’s makes one mistake in every 3,000 orders or so, and 
our drive-thru times are up to 10 times faster than our competitors’,” says Pal’s 
President-CEO Thom Crosby.
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5 notable restaurant marketing campaigns of 2014

5 notable restaurant marketing campaigns of 2014 - NRN
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Restaurant Chains to Shrink Menus

McDonald's, Red Lobster, other restaurant chains start to shrink their menus - Crain's
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Rising Costs Have Hurt McDonald's Franchisees' Profits - NRN

According to Oak Brook's Numbers
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Less Kids at Restaurant

Families with kids making fewer restaurant visits - QSRWeb
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Simplification is Sweeping the Industry

Chili’s Drops Pizzas as Restaurants Seek Simpler Menus
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"Lovin Beats Hatin" Event Canceled

McDonald's suddenly backs away from its big ad reveal - Chicago Business Journal
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ChiTrib on Build-A-Burger in Downers Grove

Analysts tell paper the investment will be $100,000 per store

McDonald's latest bet: Custom burgers - Chicago Tribune
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More Rumors About Activist MCD Investors

Morningstar Analyst On McDonald's: Activist Investor Could Push For Management Change, Franchise Increase
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Can Wendy’s Hit Sweet Spot Between McDonald’s and Chipotle?

Wendy’s, McDonald’s, and Chipotle? - Video - Bloomberg
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More Bad News From the NLRB

"This week the NLRB jammed through two more union favors, handing Big Labor the 
tools to make it easier to organize new work sites, and exerting jurisdiction over almost 
every employer-run email system."

Quickie Gifts to Big Labor - WSJ
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USA Today on McDonald's Menu

 
3 Quarter Pounders on McDonald's menu chopping block
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Marketing Today: News Digest - WSJ

McDonald’s has reached out to several ad agencies and media companies
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Too Bad About the Loss of John Kujawa?

Any comments from McDonald's Operators?
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McD's Listening Tour (@McDListenTour) on Twitter

McDonald's "Listening Tour" sounds good but they haven't used their Twitter
account since 2011. Not much listening going on.

McD's Listening Tour (@McDListenTour) | Twitter
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McCafe Fresh Baked Muffins a Sure Thing to go National?

Doing TV is not easy and this Michigan McDonald's Operator does a great job. But, she 
slips and talks about McCafe Fresh Baked Muffins as a national product. 

Let's simplify the menu ..... and then add new products.

McDonald's - FOX 47 News
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Crain's on McDonald's Downtown Chicago "Digital" Office

Here's hoping McDonald's Chicago office attracts more than tech talent - Opinion
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9 New Payment Innovations

9 New Payment Innovations from Old Companies - PaymentsSource:
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Consumers to Dine Out More at Restaurants But Spend Less

Consumers to dine out more at restaurants but spend less - NRN
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CNBC Readers Vote On McMenu Changes

The press is obsessed with the idea of McDonald's cutting "eight" products. 
CNBC is taking a poll on what should be eliminated. So far with more than 
23,000 votes it doesn't look good for McWraps. To see results scroll to the 
bottom of the article.
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McDonald's to cut menu items in order to increase service speed
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See, I Told You So ... Re: Build-A-Burger

In mid-September I posted:

"the four store McDonald's Build-A-Burger program in Southern California is not a test -
it's the preordained future of McDonald's."

On an investor call today Don Thompson said:

“Create Your Taste is not a test,” Thompson said. “It’s a rolling implementation now.”

McDonald's to cut eight menu items in January
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Where Does the Buck Stop at McDonald's?

Anonymous commenters often put all the blame on Don Thompson but the problem
could also be an antiquated board of directors. Fortune does a great job of looking at
board member's ages, tenures, and cross-connections.

Where does the buck stop at McDonald's? Look no further than the board.
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NRN on Build-A-Burger

Will customization revitalize McDonald's?

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Why Jim Cramer Sees 'Tremendous Value' in McDonald's

          CNBC Video
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Chick-fil-A Rolls Out Mobile Payment

Technology content from NRN
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Starbucks - Mobile, Food to Drive Growth

Starbucks Coffee Corporation: Mobile, food sales to drive growth - NRN
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CNBC's Herb Greenberg Discusses McDonald's Operators

And mentions our world famous Operator survey
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McDonald's Expands Build-A-Burger

The first sentence in this article says it all:

"The future of McDonald's fast food may be slowing it down."

These people who think that McDonald's customers, or potential customers, will
"be willing to wait longer if they know it's being made for them" are delusional.

The wait time for the food was seven minutes with the USA Today reporter watching? 

How long will it take in a real world situation?

And, if it's not a drive-thru product McDonald's is not going to attract millennials. As
I've written before, based on my experience with my two millennial children and their
friends, this is a drive-thru generation and is why the McDonald's drive-thru % has 
increased over the past decade. You're not going to get them to come inside the 
restaurant, even for a Build-A-Burger.

Unless you give the food away - which is why coupons are mentioned repeatedly in this
article. The sales numbers coming out of these test stores are going to be distorted or
falsified in the same way McCafe espresso test numbers were cooked.


McDonald's expands custom sandwich option - USA Today
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Arby's Update

Arby's pushes fresh take on marketing, menu, design - NRN
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McCafe Bagged Coffee Rollout - Adage

How much OPNAD $$$ goes to this launch?

Kraft Will Give McCafe Rollout a Big Marketing Boost
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Starbucks' Mobile-Order Feature - Will Customers Use It?

Scroll down for the video.

Avoid the coffee line: First look at Starbucks' order-ahead mobile feature - GeekWire
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Burger King Brings Back the Yumbo

After 40 years, Burger King brings back the Yumbo sandwich - QSRWeb
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Starbucks Could Be Making The Same Mistake As McDonald's

Starbucks Could Be Making The Same Mistake As McDonald's - Business Insider
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Canada Approves Burger King - Tim Hortons takeover

Tim Hortons Coffee at BK?
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Starbucks Expanding Lunch Menu

Starbucks Expanding Lunch Menu in Bid to Draw U.S. Diners
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And There's Still a Dollar Menu?

Wholesale food price inflation highest in 3 years
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WSJ Mentions Our Latest McDonald's Operator Survey

McDonald’s Menu Problem: It’s Supersized - WSJ
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Top Fast Food Restaurant Industry Stories From 2014

Top Fast Food Restaurant Industry Stories and Events from 2014 - QSR magazine
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Arby's Forgot to Feature Pepsi in an Ad

Arby's Forgot to Feature Pepsi in an Ad, but This Apology More Than Makes Up for It - Adweek
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Don't Count Out McDonald's Stock

Don't Count Out McDonald's Stock: Game Far From Over MCD - Investors.com
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Apple Pay Not a Big Deal on Black Friday

Apple Pay’s Black Friday, By The Numbers - InfoScout Blog
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Rising Traffic, Falling Gas Prices Fuel Operator Optimism

NRA: Rising guest restaurant traffic, falling gas prices fuel operator optimism - NRN
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