DineEquity, Inc. has reached an agreement to sell 63 Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar restaurants to Apple American Group for $32 million.  The units are located in Minnesota and Wisconsin.  Apple American, Applebee’s largest franchisee, currently owns and operates 206 Applebee’s restaurants. 

Domino’s Pizza multi-store franchisee Pali Grewal won the company’s 2010 World’s Fastest Pizza Maker competition this week.  Grewal hand-stretched and topped three large pizzas in just over 39 seconds. 

With 700 locations in 10 states, Whataburger is closing in on its 60th anniversary.  The company announced that it will celebrate the occasion on August 3rd by giving away a free Whataburger between 5 and 8 p.m. to every dine-in customer dressed in orange.

Burger King Corp. has announced that it will roll out a nutritionally-balanced kids meal for breakfast on Monday, July 26th.  The breakfast meal will feature a new Kids Breakfast Muffin Sandwich, Fresh Apple Fries and calcium-fortified Minute Maid apple juice. 

Carl’s Jr. has introduced the latest addition to its summer menu, the Hawaiian Grilled Chicken Salad.  The new salad includes grilled and sliced chicken breast, grilled Dole pineapple, red onions and sliced cucumbers topped with an Asian sesame dressing.

Despite a 4.3% dip in revenues, Ruby Tuesday reported a $45.3 million bottom line for 2010 compared to 2009′s $17.9 million net loss.  The company also reported this week that Dan Dillon has been named as Senior Vice President of Brand Development.  Dillon’s last position was as Chief Marketing Officer with OSI Restaurant Partners, parent company of Outback Steakhouse. 

On Wednesday, Frances Allen joined Denny’s Corporation as Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Vice President.  She brings to the table extensive leadership experience with Sony Ericsson, Pepsi-Cola and Frito-Lay.  In addition, she was Chief Marketing Officer for Dunkin’ Brands from 2007 to 2009 where she was named “Marketer of the Year” by BrandWeek Magazine.

Blimpie has rolled out its new healthy menu line called The Lighter Stuff.  The new menu includes six items under 400 calories and six grams of fat.  It features the Deli Trio Sub, the Asian Teriyaki Chicken Sub, the Veggie Salad Sub, the Turkey and Sweet & Spicy Mustard Sub, the Ham and Pepper Relish Sub and the Buffalo Chicken Salad.

McDonald’s global sales are up 15% for the second quarter ending June 30th, with new frozen beverages and the Dollar Menu driving U.S. sales.  The company reports a net income of $1.23 billion.

With 1,000 restaurants now open, Chipotle Mexican Grill has reported second quarter revenues of $466.8 million, up 20.1% vs. last year.  Net income rose to $46.5 million, a 31.3% increase.  Chipotle opened 25 new restaurants during the quarter.

The Cheesecake Factory closed out its second quarter on June 29th and reports a 1.6% increase in revenue.  Net income was $19.2 million vs. $16.6 million last year.

Everyone knows they should eat fruits and vegetables. Few people hear it from fast-food companies and snack purveyors. That is changing as companies that make foods rich in fat and salt aggressively market healthier options.

McDonald’s ( MCD – news – people ) launched a line of all-fruit smoothies earlier this month, a move that could help the fast-food giant fend off critics of its traditional fare and marketing practices. Most recently, the Washington, D.C.-based watchdog group The Center for Science in the Public Interest griped that McDonald’s shouldn’t reward a child with a toy, as it offers with Happy Meals, for eating unhealthy food. McDonald’s spokesman Walt Riker says the company has been working since 2003 to make its menu more appealing to health-conscious consumers. He called the CSPI’s complaints “unprofessional” and “destructive.”

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Frank Chalfont has a secret that only a person who has worked extensively with onions would know. Among top chefs, it’s probably not a big revelation. But to novice cooks, it’s a good trick.

“Breathe through your mouth,” Chaflfont said. “If you breathe through your nose, you’re done.”

As a McDonald’s owner/operator, the 48-year-old has chopped his share of onions, tomatoes and lettuce on the road to success. This month, he celebrates the renovation of his location on South Bay Street in Eustis, which first opened in 1973. As a franchisee, Chalfont owns the most McDonald’s in Lake — six of 13 in the county.

That may not be surprising given that Chalfont was practically raised in a McDonald’s. Over the years, his father was the owner/operator of 14 McDonald’s locations in Alabama and Tennessee. Chalfont was just 5 when one of his first jobs at the fast-food restaurant was to open the door for patrons. He remembers when French fries were hand cut in the restaurants.

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Paul McCartney has succeeded in having his photo removed from a McDonald’s restaurant in the Beatles’ hometown of Liverpool, England.

McCartney, a long-time vegetarian and animal rights activist, discovered photos at the area McDonald’s in 2008. He subsequently urged fans to boycott the establishment until the photographs were removed.

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McDonald’s Corp. (MCD) plans to upgrade hundreds of its restaurants inside Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) locations to boost sales and profits for a group of stores that lag the larger fleet.

McDonald’s proposal would add fruit smoothies and frappes–an icy, coffee drink–to these stores, but not the broader line of McCafe drinks introduced last year. McDonald’s found the pricier espresso drinks didn’t do well enough in tests at 50 Wal-Mart-based restaurants to justify their addition, according to minutes of last month’s meeting of McDonald’s National Leadership Council, a franchisee group.

McDonald’s also plans to update technology at these stores, with the goal of helping profitability by processing orders faster.

The payoff for McDonald’s would be lifting a large group of its 14,000 U.S. restaurants that have missed out on some recent growth initiatives like beverages. McDonald’s has 939 Wal-Mart-based stores, 65 owned by the company, the rest by franchisees.

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McDonald’s Corp. Chief Executive Jim Skinner vowed to vigorously defend the company in its use of toys to promote Happy Meals against a threat by a consumer group to sue the fast-food giant over the practice.

Mr. Skinner, in a July 6 letter to the executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, blasted the consumer-advocacy group’s stance that McDonald’s use of Happy Meal toys is a deceptive and illegal marketing practice to lure kids into its restaurants.

“CSPI is wrong in its assertions and frivolous in its legal threats,” Mr. Skinner wrote in the letter.

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Celebrities and dignitaries joined McDonald’s over the weekend at the 2010 McDonald’s 365Black Awards, held in New Orleans. Honored at the event were Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr.; Lieutenant General Russel L. Honore, US Army (Ret); philanthropists Rodney Peete and Holly Robinson Peete; and National Black McDonald’s Operators Association CEO Rita Mack, a New-Jersey-based McDonald’s owner/operator for their achievements and contributions as African American community and business leaders.  

Activist Al Sharpton, Actress Victoria Rowell, Award-winning journalist and CNN commentator and 2008 365Black Award recipient Roland Martin, were among dignitaries present at the event hosted by Tom Joyner, nationally syndicated radio personality and one of the first recipients of the 365Black Award, recipient and Sherri Shepherd, television co-host of “The View.” Since 2003, the McDonald’s 365Black Awards have recognized African American leaders who are bettering the lives of African Americans across the nation.

McDonald’s Corp. plans to soon retire the Big ‘N’ Tasty and is looking to add oatmeal to its national menu in January, according to a company memo obtained by Crain’s.

The chain is also slated to replace the Mac Snack Wrap with an Angus Snack Wrap in August and expects to discontinue its fruit and walnut salad once it begins selling oatmeal.

Frappes and smoothies will officially become part of the national menu on July 13, accompanied by a national advertising launch, according to the memo from McDonald’s executives to franchisees.

Oak Brook-based McDonald’s currently is testing maple brown sugar oatmeal topped with apples, raisins and cranberries and blended with cream. The oatmeal has sold for $1.99 in test markets such as Baltimore and Washington D.C.

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As if drubbing the hamburger competition wasn’t enough, McDonald’s selected a number of non-carbonated beverage opportunities built up by a handful of chains and has built respectable facsimiles of all of them. Now armed with everything from lattes to smoothies, McDonald’s is ready to fight for a bigger piece of the $153 billion U.S. beverage market. In addition to quality products, McDonald’s boasts 14,000 locations and $1.2 billion in U.S. advertising spending, as estimated by Ad Age.

“McDonald’s clearly wants to become more of a beverage destination,” said John Sicher, editor and publisher of Beverage Digest. “McDonald’s franchisees have been unhappy in years past seeing consumers bring in beverages from convenience stores either into their restaurants, or seeing them in cars go through the drive-thru.”

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McDonald’s presents its 2010 365Black Awards, continuing to recognize prominent African Americans who influence and inspire greatness among African Americans and all Americans.

Celebrities and dignitaries from across the country join event emcee Tom Joyner, nationally syndicated radio personality and one of the first recipients of the 365Black Award, along with Sherri Shepherd, television co-host of “The View,” on Friday, July 2, 2010, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., at the Ernest Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, to recognize the accomplishments of several noteworthy individuals. Each 2010 recipient of the McDonald’s 365Black Awards exemplifies outstanding community service, empowering new generations for years to come.

This year McDonald’s recognizes Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr.; Lieutenant General Russel L. Honore, US Army (Ret); philanthropists Rodney Peete and Holly Robinson Peete; and National Black McDonald’s Operators Association CEO Rita Mack, a New-Jersey-based McDonald’s owner/operator.  These individuals join the ranks of previous 365Black honorees, including the Rev. Jesse Jackson, ESSENCE Magazine president Michelle Ebanks and founder Susan Taylor, educator Johnnetta B. Cole, CNN journalist Soledad O’Brien, and NBA legend Alonzo Mourning.

“This year’s McDonald’s 365Black Awards recipients represent another extraordinary group of leaders in America.  From celebrated intellectuals to catalysts in community service, they are accomplished people of tremendous influence,” said Neil Golden, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, McDonald’s USA.  ”They continually inspire all of us with their unique leadership in areas that touch our lives.”

The 365Black Awards were launched in 2003 and are an extension of McDonald’s 365Black initiative, created to celebrate the pride, heritage and achievements of African Americans yearlong.  McDonald’s outreach under the 365Black platform includes the web site www.mcdonalds.com/365black, as well as alliances with organizations that provide opportunities for African Americans to succeed.  

“McDonald’s continues to cultivate the growth of the African American community through recognizing those that empower our consumers to take advantage of academic, economic, employment and career opportunities,” said Rob Jackson, Director of U.S. Marketing, McDonald’s USA. “Our commitment is to celebrate people who truly demonstrate the essence of 365Black, which is all about being ‘deeply rooted in the community®’ everyday.”

The 2010 365Black Awards recipients include:

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. , the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and Director of the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research at Harvard University. Professor Gates is Editor-in-Chief of TheRoot.com, a daily online magazine focusing on issues of interest to the African American community and written from an African American perspective, and the Oxford African American Studies Center, the first comprehensive scholarly online resource in the field of African American and Africana Studies. Professor Gates is also the critically acclaimed host of multi-part PBS documentary series, “African American Lives 1 and 2.” and “Faces of America.”

Lt. General Russel L. Honore, who led Task Force Katrina in the aftermath of the devastating hurricanes that struck the Gulf Coast in the summer of 2005. General Honore is currently a Senior Scientist with The Gallup Organization, where he is working on developing questions to determine levels of preparedness, and a CNN Preparedness Contributor. General Honore retired on February 29, 2008, following 37 years of active service with the United States Army.  

Rodney Peete and Holly Robinson Peete formed the HollyRod Foundation, inspired by her father’s inspiring battle with Parkinson’s disease, with the mission to help improve the quality of life of people plagued with devastating life circumstances. In 2005, inspired by their son, hollyrod4kids was formed to focus on children’s causes and improving the lives of children affected by circumstances beyond their control, specifically autism.  Through hollyrod4kids and her family’s personal experiences, The Peetes have become advocates for consistent and reliable education, outreach and support on autism. 

Rita Mack Chairman and CEO of the National Black McDonald’s Operators Association (NBMOA), oversees the nation’s largest and most successful organization for African American franchisees.  Mack, an operator of nine restaurants in New Jersey, is a tireless leader, dedicated to advancing and celebrating the entrepreneurial spirit of the African American community, through ensuring the businesses success of the African American operators who own restaurants throughout the nation.

Are the toys in your child’s Happy Meal making him fat?

The Center for Science in the Public Interest says they are. The Washington-based consumer advocacy group threatened to file a lawsuit against McDonald’s Tuesday, charging that the fast food chain “unfairly and deceptively” markets the toys to children.

“McDonald’s marketing has the effect of conscripting America’s children into an unpaid drone army of word-of-mouth marketers, causing them to nag their parents to bring them to McDonald’s,” CSPI’s Stephen Gardner wrote to the heads of the chain in a letter announcing the lawsuit.

The center, which has filed dozens of lawsuits against food companies in recent years, is hoping the publicity and the threat of a lawsuit will force McDonald’s to negotiate with them on the issue. The group announced the lawsuit in the letter to McDonald’s 30 days before filing it with the hope that the company will agree to stop selling the toys before a suit is filed.

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Okay, so maybe it doesn’t have a football team or a Greek system or a campus bookstore that sells giant foam fingers bearing the school logo, but that doesn’t make McDonald’s (MCD) Hamburger University any less legitimate an institution of higher learning.

The fast-food behemoth’s global training facility, dubbed by its dean (yes, it has a dean) as the “Harvard for our industry,” is the epicenter of McDonald’s operations and leadership development training where Ray Kroc’s sacred Quality, Service, Cleanliness, and Value (QSC&V) maxim defines the McSyllabus. The university’s four-tiered curriculum is career-path-specific, offering separate coursework and job training for restaurant crew, managers, mid-managers, and executives. From shift and systems management, equipment operations — including learning to dismantle, clean, and repair equipment — to human relations, effective communication, and consulting, the coursework is designed to teach operational practices in the McDonald’s system. Company policy dictates that only Hamburger University graduates may own and operate a McDonald’s franchise, where one can only imagine their bachelor’s diploma in Hamburgerology hangs proudly on their office wall.

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Whether you’re a fan of McDonald’s or curse the company for the effect of its food on your waistline, you can’t deny that the fast-food haven has improved its image over the years. McDonald’s now offers healthier menu options, like fruit and salad, and innovations like its McCafé coffee brand have been a hit with customers. Further, the company has always connected with kids. So when news hit that its Shrek-themed drinking glasses contained potentially dangerous levels of cadmium, a carcinogen that can cause kidney ailments, the results could have been severe. There goes McDonald’s again, creating a health hazard. And worse, they could be poisoning the kids who adore Ronald McDonald, Grimace and, by extension, those salty french fries.

So McDonald’s issued a swift recall of the offending glasses. And analysts are giving the company high marks for its response to a potential disaster. “The takeaway from all this is that they were very proactive,” says Jack Russo, an equity research analyst who covers McDonald’s for Edward Jones, an investment banking and advisory firm based in St. Louis, Mo.

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After losing its way early last decade, McDonald’s Corp. has spent the past seven years posting financial performance almost as golden as its arches. The stock has whipped the S&P 500, market share has grown, and earnings have chugged along despite a brutal economy, The Chicago Tribune reported.

Don Thompson, the 47-year-old Chicago native who took over as McDonald’s No. 2 and chief of operations in January, said he’s looking to coax even more growth from the Oak Brook, Ill.-based burger giant, though the company faces plenty of challenges.

McDonald’s gets 36 percent of its operating earnings from Europe, where currency translation issues and a shaky economy cloud the future. Around the world, it is relying on an ambitious plan to spark broader demand in its restaurants by introducing a spate of new products and redesigning its restaurants, according to the report.

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McDonald’s Corp., the largest restaurant chain, plans to open 100 more restaurants in South Africa and 120 in India over the next five years as the company seeks out further growth in emerging markets.

The Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa area contributes about 14 percent to the company’s operating income, compared with less than 8 percent five years ago, Tim Fenton, McDonald’s president for the region, said in an interview today.

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McDonald’s might be the home of a smiling clown and friendly “I’m lovin’ it” ads, but when it comes to defending their trademarks, they’re notoriously ruthless.

Erin Wade and Allison Arevalo, friends and small business owners in Oakland, CA, recently discovered it’s unwise to tread on anything the burger giant considers a trademark. The duo planned to name their restaurant — a neighborhood joint featuring macaroni and cheese made from artisanal cheeses and local ingredients — Little Mac. But last week, corporate counsel for the Golden Arches nixed the name, claiming that the word “mac” is the intellectual property of McDonalds.

Wade says they were stunned: “We were like, wait a minute, we’re a mac and cheese shop and we can’t use the word ‘mac’ at all?”

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McDonald’s reported strong same-store sales for May, but warned that the falling euro could hurt its bottom line.

Morningstar analyst R.J. Hottovy credited product innovation for the company’s results, saying that while McDonald’s ( MCD – news – people )is getting a boost from the improving economy, it’s still outperforming its competitors due to its addition of new products and limited-time menu items.

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McDonald’s Corp. is offering $3 refunds to customers who bought “Shrek” drinking glasses, the promotional items recalled last week because they’re tainted with cadmium.

Starting Wednesday, customers can fill out a refund slip and return the glassware to any McDonald’s restaurant, the Oak Brook, Ill.-based company said. The glasses sold for $1.99 with a food purchase and $2.49 without.

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McDonald’s today announced Sherri Shepherd, television co-host of “The View,” will join nationally syndicated radio personality Tom Joyner as a co-host for the 2010 McDonald’s 365Black Awards. Joyner has hosted the event for the past two years and was himself a recipient of the prestigious award in 2003.  Now in its seventh year, the McDonald’s 365Black Awards program annually recognizes African American leaders for their lifetime achievements and for their contributions to all Americans.

“Anytime you tell me that I can be a part of paying tribute to the accomplishments of African Americans, I want to be there,” said Shepherd. “Being a co-host of the 365Black Awards is a great opportunity for me to be a part of telling these individuals’ stories and I’m proud to be a part of this year’s event.”

Celebrities and dignitaries from across the country will join the duo in paying tribute to the honorees on Friday, July 2, 2010, 10 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. at the Ernest Morial Convention Center in New Orleans.

The 365Black Awards were launched in 2003 and are an extension of McDonald’s 365Black initiative, created to celebrate the pride, heritage and achievements of African Americans yearlong.  McDonald’s outreach under the 365Black platform includes the web site http://www.365black.com, as well as alliances and supporting events with organizations that provide opportunities for African Americans to succeed.

Today, McDonald’s announced an exciting opportunity for up-and-coming music artists to launch their careers on a national stage– an upcoming McDonald’s commercial. The program is in conjunction with Artists & Brands, a company created in partnership with Grammy Award-Winning Producer Rodney Jerkins.

“Music has always been an integral element to McDonald’s brand and our marketing,” said Marlena Peleo-Lazar, vice president and chief creative officer, McDonald’s USA. “Through our new relationship with Artists & Brands, we are energizing our musical heritage by creating unique opportunities for bright new artists to showcase their talents in our brand communication.”

Undiscovered artists can upload their original music to the Artists & Brands Web site (www.artistsandbrands.com) where McDonald’s marketing executives and the Artists & Brands team – helmed by Jerkins, music and marketing executive Ira Antelis and music attorney Daryl Jones – will review and select artists that truly shine for McDonald’s. Once an artist is selected, Artists & Brands will produce a track for a McDonald’s database of commercial-ready songs, as well as two additional singles that will be available for $.99 on www.artistsandbrands.com.

The site also serves as the hub for new and emerging artist bios, video profiles and “behind-the-scenes” footage from recording sessions, including I.B. Fokuz, a Chicago native who was the first artist selected by the Artists & Brands team. His original song, “Got It In the Bag,” is featured in “Woofer,” a McDonald’s commercial.

Beginning in June, Rodney Jerkins will select an “Artist of the Month,” who will be featured on www.artistsandbrands.com and receive industry counsel directly from Jerkins.

“As a music producer, I’m always interested in innovative ways to introduce new artists and their music. McDonald’s has an enormous and instant reach and I’m excited to work with them as they continue to bring their brand to life through music,” said Jerkins.

A fake McDonalds employee held-up one of the fast foot restaurants last week. The man was dressed in a McDonalds uniform when he held-up the store at West Northbend and Winton. He committed the crime at four in the morning on Wednesday, May 26th. He told workers he had been transferred from another McDonalds. Once inside the manager’s office he ordered the manager to open the safe at gunpoint.

Source

In collaboration with the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), and as a precautionary measure, McDonald’s USA today issued a voluntary recall of its four Shrek Forever After™ glassware recently offered in its U.S. restaurants.  Customers should stop using the glasses and visit www.mcdonalds.com/glasses beginning June 8 for instructions on how to return them and get a refund.

McDonald’s safety standards are among the highest in the industry and the company has a strong track record.  To be clear, the glassware was evaluated by an independent third-party laboratory which is accredited by the CPSC, and determined to be in compliance with all applicable federal and state requirements at the time of manufacture and distribution.  However, in light of the CPSC’s evolving assessment of standards for cadmium in consumer products, McDonald’s determined in an abundance of caution that a voluntary recall of the Shrek Forever After glasses is appropriate.  

“When the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission approached McDonald’s about cadmium in their current movie-themed drinking glasses, the company responded quickly, agreed to cooperate fully and acted on the side of caution,” said Scott Wolfson, Director of the Office of Information and Public Affairs, CPSC.  ”The glasses have far less cadmium than the children’s metal jewelry that CPSC has previously recalled.”

McDonald’s has a longstanding, cooperative relationship with the CPSC, and continues to follow their lead as testing protocols and new scientific information becomes available.

The Shrek Forever After glassware was offered in four glass designs at McDonald’s restaurants beginning May 21.  The four designs include Puss n’ Boots, Shrek, Princess Fiona and Donkey.  Customers can get instructions to return the glassware and request a refund by visiting www.mcdonalds.com/glasses beginning June 8.  Customers can also call McDonald’s toll-free number at 1-800-244-6227.  Previous McDonald’s promotional glassware is not involved in the recall.

We attended a product-tasting event yesterday afternoon in a three-story restaurant with wood-paneled walls and modern accents, where people were using the free wifi and enjoying complimentary manicures. Sounds fancy, eh? The restaurant, by the way, was a McDonald’s. (And those manicures were exclusive to the event.)

This Golden Arches location — one of five in New York featuring the modern renovation — set the scene perfectly for an event at which McDonald’s executives and representatives made it loudly known that they care about the quality of their ingredients, they are constantly innovating and they base many of their actions on customer feedback.

The products being unveiled included Angus Snack Wraps, McCafé Real Fruit Smoothies, and McCafé Frappés (which have been rolling out nationally for the past few months). On hand to chat about the products were McDonald’s Director of Culinary Innovation, Chef Dan Coudreaut, and the Director of Product Innovation and Development, Danielle Paris.

The Angus Snack Wraps will launch in New York on June 14, and will go nationwide on August 10. They’ll come in the same three varieties as their larger counterparts: Deluxe (lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles, American cheese, mayo, mustard); Bacon & Cheese (onions, pickles, American cheese, ketchup, mustard, a strip of bacon); and Mushroom & Swiss (sauteed mushrooms, Swiss cheese, mayo). Each flour tortilla wrap contains half an Angus patty and the various toppings.

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McDonald’s will continue its long time association with Europe’s renowned national team competition and will be part of UEFA EURO 2012 and UEFA EURO 2016. McDonald’s and UEFA have worked together since 1992 and todays announcement said that the sponsorship as the official restaurant and UEFA EUROTOP partner will cover all competitions under the EUROTOP programme until 2017. McDonald’s joins adidas, Castrol, Coca-Cola, Hyundai-Kia and Carlsberg agreements as an official UEFA sponsor.

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This summer, McDonald’s is launching beverage promotions on both ends of the spectrum. On one end, the new $2.79 Frappe is an extension of its much heralded McCafé specialty coffee platform. That rollout coincides with the significant discounting of its Coca-Cola dispensed soft drinks priced at $1.00 for any size ($0.79 for a 42-ounce in Southern California).
 
This is a new twist in the ubiquitous barbell strategy coined primarily for a simultaneous premium and value food offering. McDonald’s barbell beverage strategy, featuring McCafé premium priced specialty coffees and low priced dispensed soft drinks, is a recipe for incremental transactions at the expense of nearly every other competing food and beverage brand.

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The sodium-rich Happy Meal is getting a slight makeover.

McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada Ltd. is changing its menu to include a lower-sodium grilled chicken snack wrap option in its child-oriented Happy Meals. The change involves lowering the sodium in a variety of ingredients, which will have a cascade effect on sodium levels in a dozen other McDonald’s menu items.

“I’d call it a significant reduction in sodium,” said Richard Ellis, senior vice-president of communications and public affairs at McDonald’s Canada.

The move, expected to be announced Tuesday, reflects the country’s growing awareness of the dangers of high sodium consumption, and could help push other fast-food chains to take action. The sodium-reduced products are now available at McDonald’s franchises across the country.

But the change also highlights the food industry’s struggle to respond to health concerns over sodium while maintaining the taste to which customers are accustomed.

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Retire Ronald McDonald? No way.

That’s the message McDonald’s CEO Jim Skinner gave Thursday to critics of the red-haired clown, who say the character promotes unhealthy eating to kids and should go the way of Joe Camel.

“The answer is no,” Skinner told a room full of shareholders gathered for a meeting at the company’s headquarters in the Chicago suburb of Oak Brook, Ill.

“He is a force for good,” Skinner said, adding that the nearly 50-year-old clown is an ambassador for the McDonald’s brand and its Ronald McDonald House Charities. “He communicates effectively with children and families around balanced, active lifestyles. He does not hawk food.”

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Family mealtime is more fun at McDonald’s with McDonald’s great-tasting Chicken McNuggets^®, made with white meat chicken, and DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc.’s (Nasdaq: DWA) Shrek Forever After™, the final chapter, in theaters May 21^†. Shrek and friends are back at McDonald’s, and this month, families can purchase and share new, limited-time Shrek Forever After-themed McNuggets of Fun Packs and Shrek collectible glassware and can gain access to unique digital experiences with fun rewards. Kids can also “Shrek Out” their Happy Meal^® with Apple Dippers and low-fat Milk Jugs featuring Shrek-themed graphics.

McDonald’s Celebrates Shrek for the Whole Family

Each 20-pc. McNuggets of Fun Pack and 10-pc. Chicken McNuggets will include a McNugget™ of Fun Code that unlocks fun family games and rewards online at www.mcdonalds.com/mcnuggets. By entering a code, families receive a reward like 25 prints from photo-sharing site Snapfish by HP, a one-night Redbox DVD movie rental or a Shrek flash mini game pack from Activision.

Shrek enthusiasts can also collect four unique Shrek–themed glasses available for $1.99 each with any food purchase at participating U.S. McDonald’s restaurants for a limited time while supplies last^‡. The double-sided glasses show the Shrek characters in both a familiar way and in a way never before seen and include an additional McNugget of Fun Code for access to the Shrek online games and rewards.

Happy Meal is More Fun with Shrek

To help make eating fruits and dairy more fun, kids can “Shrek Out” their Happy Meal^® with Apple Dippers and low-fat Milk Jugs featuring Shrek themed graphics. In 2007, McDonald’s featured Shrek on the packaging of Happy Meal items including low-fat Milk Jugs and Apple Dippers and have since seen an increase in the number of these items sold. In addition, as a supporter of Produce for Better Health Foundation’s Fruits & Veggies—More Matters^® national health campaign and their Campaign for Children’s Health, McDonald’s now includes the Fruits & Veggies—More Matters logo on the Shrek-themed Apple Dippers packaging. To learn more, visit www.FruitsAndVeggiesMoreMatters.org.

Timed to the Shrek promotion, McDonald’s unveiled “Stage M,” an action packed, interactive online experience for kids featuring new music videos recorded by popular kids’ artists. The videos – found online at www.happymeal.com – use colorful animation and music to engage kids in the taste and appeal of fruits and vegetables.

Talking Shrek Happy Meal toys (available from May 14 – June 10) and distinctive Shrek character watches (available from June 11 – 24) are also part of the excitement, while supplies last, at participating U.S. McDonald’s restaurants.

About McDonald’s

McDonald’s USA, LLC, is the leading foodservice provider in the United States serving a variety of wholesome foods made from quality ingredients to more than 26 million customers every day. Nearly 90 percent of McDonald’s 14,000 U.S. restaurants are independently owned and operated by local business men and women. Customers can now log online for free at any of the 11,500 participating Wi-Fi enabled McDonald’s U.S. restaurants. For more information, visit www.mcdonalds.com, or follow us on Twitter @McDonalds and Facebook (Facebook.com/McDonalds) for updates on our business, promotions and products.

About DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc.

DreamWorks Animation creates high-quality entertainment, including CG animated feature films, television specials and series, live entertainment properties and online virtual worlds, meant for audiences around the world. The Company has world-class creative talent, a strong and experienced management team and advanced filmmaking technology and techniques. DreamWorks Animation has been named one of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” by FORTUNE® Magazine for two consecutive years. In 2010, DreamWorks Animation ranks #6 on the list. All of DreamWorks Animation’s feature films are now being produced in 3D. The Company has theatrically released a total of 19 animated feature films, including the franchise properties of Shrek, Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda and How to Train Your Dragon. DreamWorks Animation’s upcoming feature film releases for 2010 are Shrek Forever After and Megamind.

About Produce for Better Health Foundation

Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH) is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) fruit and vegetable education foundation. Since 1991, PBH has been working hard to motivate people to eat more fruits and vegetables to improve public health. PBH achieves success through industry and government collaboration, first with the 5 A Day program and now with the Fruits & Veggies—More Matters® public health initiative. Fruits & Veggies—More Matters is the nation’s largest public-private, fruit and vegetable nutrition education initiative with Fruit and Vegetable Nutrition Coordinators in each state, territory and the military. To learn more, visit www.pbhfoundation.org and www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org.

The Migration Policy Institute (MPI) on Tuesday announced the winners of its second annual E Pluribus Unum national awards for exceptional immigrant integration initiatives, recognizing an innovative workplace English-for-Speakers-of-Other-Languages (ESOL) program created by McDonald’s Corporation with the sole honorable mention.

The E Pluribus Unum Prizes program, established by MPI’s National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy with generous support from the J.M. Kaplan Fund, seeks to encourage the adoption of effective integration practices and to inspire others to take on the important work of integrating newcomers and their children so they can become full participants in U.S. society.

McDonald’s English Under the Arches program and the four E Pluribus Unum Prize winners will be honored tonight at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C., featuring national policymakers and elected officials. Winners were selected from nearly 350 applications.

English Under the Arches is a unique workplace English instruction program that provides McDonald’s shift managers with the language skills needed to manage restaurant operations and staff. Working with nationally recognized ESOL experts, McDonald’s developed a work-based English curriculum that helps immigrant workers gain on-the-job knowledge, skills, and confidence.

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Think again. The nation’s largest fast-food chain is on a multibillion-dollar mission to become a serious beverage juggernaut, too.

In the process, it’s turning the fast-food world upside down. It’s trying to redefine consumer habits for the simple act of stopping for a drink. And that’s pitting it against convenience stores, supermarkets and specialty coffee chains such as Starbucks.

The chain has slowly been rolling out iced frappés only since March, but CEO Jim Skinner already credits April’s impressive 3.8% same-store sales boost, in part, to frappés.

Now, smoothies are on tap.

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McDonald’s owner/operators throughout the Greater Bay Area today announced the donation of $650,000 as they launch a three-year, $2 million fundraiser to provide seed money to build two new Ronald McDonald Houses in the Bay Area.

Dubbed McDonald’s “One-Fry-at-a-Time” fund, McDonald’s owners are donating a percentage of sales from every order of French Fries to reach their $2 million goal.

The Ronald McDonald Houses provide a “home away from home” for families of seriously ill children receiving treatment at nearby hospitals. In the Bay Area, the Ronald McDonald House in San Francisco and the Ronald McDonald House at Stanford have served more than 27,000 families.

McDonald’s owner/operators support both Ronald McDonald House of San Francisco and Ronald McDonald House at Stanford.  The demand for services at each of these Houses has never been greater. Major advances in medical care have made a dramatic impact on the treatment of children’s illnesses and injuries; many conditions once considered terminal are now treatable. As a result, the Ronald McDonald Houses have become even more integral to families who must travel far from home to obtain the best medical care for their children.

“When we learned how many more families are in need of the Ronald McDonald Houses, my fellow McDonald’s restaurant owners in the Bay Area got together to explore how we could support their efforts,” said Scott Rodrick, McDonald’s owner in San Francisco, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Ronald McDonald House at Stanford. “Together with our customers, we have an opportunity to raise $2 million for new Houses and make a real difference in the lives of families facing their worst nightmare: a seriously ill child.”

Long-standing supporters of programs that enhance the health and well-being of children, local McDonald’s owners’ “One-Fry-at-a-Time” fund is the largest joint fundraising effort to-date.

“We are tremendously grateful for McDonald’s support as we work to accommodate more families,” said Ronald McDonald House of San Francisco Executive Director, Lois Moore. “With the help of McDonald’s owners and their customers, we’ll dramatically increase our ability to serve families in crisis.”

“Medical treatments may last a day, a month, or even years. It’s a long time to be away from home, or to divide a family, but the Houses offer families a way to stay together,” added Ronald McDonald House at Stanford Executive Director, Honey Meir-Levi. “Over the last eight years, the average length of stay at our House has tripled. The longer a family has to be far from home, the more valuable the House becomes. The money donated by McDonald’s owners allows us to provide the home these families need.”

Ronald McDonald House at Stanford

Ronald McDonald House at Stanford can accommodate 47 families per night and features a communal kitchen and dining room, Children’s Activity Room, Teen Recreation Center, Computer Center, family library, and fitness center, in addition to a selection of program offerings that promote a sense of normalcy for each member of the family. Last year alone, 65 percent of the guest rooms were occupied by families staying more than 30 days.

Ronald McDonald House of San Francisco

The Ronald McDonald House of San Francisco has provided more than 60,000 nights of housing to more than 3,500 families since opening in 1989. Families come to the San Francisco House from 52 Californian counties, 42 states, and 25 countries. The average stay for a family is about 16 nights.

For more information on the Ronald McDonald Houses of the Bay Area, please visit www.rmhcbayarea.org, www.ronaldhouse.net and www.ronaldhouse-sf.org.

About Northern California McDonald’s Restaurants

The Northern California McDonald’s® Cooperative is comprised of individuals who own and operate 255 McDonald’s restaurants in the 15-county Bay Area region. Northern California McDonald’s owner operators are committed to their communities, supporting programs including the Ronald McDonald House Charities® of the Bay Area and its core programs, the Ronald McDonald House® at Stanford and the Ronald McDonald House® of San Francisco, as well as the RMHC Scholarship program and two Ronald McDonald Care Mobiles, which provide dental services to children on the Peninsula and in Contra Costa County.

Max Carmona is McDonald’s senior director for U.S. restaurant design, meaning he’s the overseer of the chain’s updated look. Carmona, a University of Illinois-trained architect who started at the chain 22 years ago as an intern, manages a team “reimaging” 400 to 500 restaurants this year. Out will go the iconic red mansard roof and cafeteria-style lighting, and in will come a stone or brick exterior and more modern furniture. Carmona, 45, spoke with Chicago Confidential last week about what customers can expect.

Q What are the first things customers will notice when they walk into a reimaged restaurant?

A Hopefully, you’re noticing that is does feel modern and contemporary and very forward-looking. … For me, it’s the colors, the comfortable furniture, the modern furniture, and some more-dining-conducive lighting.

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“One of the things we do very well is to make sure it’s [a new product is] not real until it’s real in the restaurant,” McDonald’s CEO James Skinner told CNBC. “We don’t put something on the menu until it can be produced at the speed of McDonald’s.”

To keep the burgers moving, the company has recently expanded the “footprint” of the drive-thru, explained Skinner. “If you’re driving down the road and you see seven or eight cars in the drive-thru—even though the service time might be 30 seconds per car—you’ll drive by it,” said Skinner. “I do.”

By shaving six seconds off a transaction, Skinner said, an individual restaurant can accommodate 15 more cars per hour.

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The great philosopher John Travolta once observed that, in France, a Quarter Pounder with Cheese is known as a “Royale with Cheese”, while they call a Big Mac “Le Big Mac” and allow you to wash it down with beer. That’s the “funniest thing” about Europe, he concluded, during the often quoted opening scene of Pulp Fiction: its people have embraced American culture without entirely losing their soul. “A lot of the same s— we got here, they got there. But there, they’re just a little bit different.”

Another thinker, Thomas Friedman, has also used McDonald’s to riff about globalisation. In his bestselling book The Lexus and the Olive Tree, Friedman famously ventured that: “No two countries that both had a McDonald’s had fought a war against each other since each got its McDonald’s.” Once a nation dines under the golden arches, he argued, it buys into freedom, democracy, and the American way. Children who grow up eating Happy Meals would rather spend their lives scoffing mass-produced burgers than making war.

On Saturday, the golden arches that provided Friedman, Travolta and legions of other modern opinion-formers with food for thought will reach an important milestone: their 70th birthday. On 15 May 1940, two brothers, Richard and Maurice (Dick and Mac) McDonald, opened their first restaurant, in San Bernadino – an unlovely city fringed by mountains, an hour’s drive east of Los Angeles. Today more than 32,000 outlets in 117 countries bear their name. Three new ones open each day. China has over a thousand. The company that dreamt up “Le Big Mac” has managed, in the span of a single human lifetime, to devour the world.

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The smell of burgers sizzling on the grill and the rattle of the famous McDonald’s frying cages are not conducive to conducting an interview. It’s harder to take in financials and development pipeline plans when you’ve missed breakfast and all you can think about is a quarter pounder with cheese. But for Henry Trickey, the fast food group’s director of real estate and store development, mixing business with Big Macs is all par for the course. He is the man heading the rebranding of more than 1,000 restaurants across the country, including the staff canteen at McDonald’s UK headquarters in north London, where he is sat today.

The McDonald’s brand is known for happy-go-lucky fun, family dining and kiddies’ party heaven (or hell for anyone over the age of nine). But there is a far tougher ethos for those working behind the scenes, particularly on the construction side.

“Quality of service is paramount,” says Trickey. “There are organisations we now no longer work with after they failed to deliver the quality of service we require. That can be due to a number of things: inconsistent personalities at site agent level, failure to communicate effectively with the operations team on the ground, failure to follow up on snagging. We expect our supplier to deliver the best quality product and we hold them accountable if they don’t.” You get the sneaking suspicion McDonald’s is a demanding client. Is it? “Yes, I would say we are.”

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Cooking shows such as Ace of Cakes and Kitchen Nightmares have would-be chefs salivating at the thought of ruling over swanky dining rooms, but many professional cooks get humble starts in the fast-food industry.
Lita Salazar, a former schoolteacher who co-owns three area McDonald’s franchises, said her eateries have been the proving ground for numerous kitchen wizards, including her son, Matthew, who has degrees in restaurant management and culinary arts.

“A lot of people get their start at McDonald’s,” said Salazar, who estimates her North Central location alone serves 45,000 hungry people each month.

Salazar’s husband, Joe, was the director of operations at a Laredo McDonald’s for 15 years before the couple became franchise owners. Their first locations were in Rockport and Aransas Pass, but they sold both when they moved to San Antonio in 2002.

Salazar, who holds a master’s degree in early childhood education, said owning a business means realizing the American Dream. Buying a franchise “was a leap of faith but, in the end, everyone wants the chance to be their own boss,” she said.

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Starbucks Corp., the home of the $4 latte, has moved down market for some time to defend its turf against firms like McDonald’s which offer less expensive “designer” coffee. The world’s largest fast food chain effectively undercut Starbucks in the latte business by offering similar brew at half the price.

Last year, Starbucks moved more deeply into the lower end of the market by offering instant coffee, Via, which it began to sell as an inexpensive product that customers could make in their homes or offices.

Starbucks is not finished competing with McDonald’s and mid-tier brands sold in retail outlets.

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A showdown took place in a quiet corner of an otherwise hectic kitchen Monday.

While the morning crew at the Hoffman Road, Gastonia McDonald’s rushed through their tasks of producing fast food, bakers competed to see who had just the right touch on a slower food — buttermilk biscuits.

More than a dozen of the best bakers from 126 regional McDonald’s restaurants came to the restaurant to vie for the Golden Biscuit Award.

Most of these early risers had to beat other competitors to advance to the regional final, said host Jeff Stanton, the owner-operator of the Hoffman store.

“Our biscuit makers touch 80 to 85 percent of our customers each day, through their scratch-made biscuits,” Stanton said. “This is just about rewarding them for their skills.”

A team of judges holding clipboards gave bakers the eagle eye while they prepared their entries. Another luckier set of judges measured, eyed and tasted the finished product.

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As of April 28, 2010, Santa Clara County officials officially banned toy promotions offered with high-calorie McDonald’s Happy Meals. While this “ban” currently applies to only restaurants within the county’s jurisdiction, the controversial stand against everyone’s favorite powerhouse fast food conglomerate has sparked much debate from around the nation. The ordinance, County Supervisor Ken Yeager claims, aspires to curb the raging trend of childhood obesity in America and break “the link between unhealthy food and prizes.”

Thus, a 3-2 vote was made and April 28 became a not-so-happy day for Happy Meals. While said lawmakers are having their fair share of applause and criticism, the real question arises: Just how effective is an ordinance that has gained so much national and international attention?

The key word is “high-calorie.” The applicable McDonald’s restaurants will be granted a 90-day grace period to “fix” their children’s meal menu to meet basic nutritional values. This means that the seemingly radical move to ban toys is, in fact, a lot more talk than walk. Restaurants will still be allowed to offer shiny playthings with their meals as long as it hits certain nutritional criteria. Ultimately, this will affect a few restaurants within the region at best.

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Icy coffee drinks and chicken nuggets lured McDonald’s Corp. customers to spend more in April, boosting a key performance measure, the fast-food chain said Monday.

Around the globe, sales in locations open at least a year rose 4.9 percent last month. In the U.S., the figure climbed 3.8 percent.

That’s slightly less than the gains made in March, when the measure rose 4.2 percent, but was still the second-best posting in a year for the company’s American business.

The measure is a key indicator of a restaurant chain’s performance because it excludes growth at sites that open or close during the year.

Bernstein analyst Sara Senatore said she McDonald’s emphasis on drinks and even cheaper-than-usual prices was helping it woo diners.

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McDonald’s Corporation today announced global comparable sales growth of 4.9% in April.  Performance by segment was as follows:

• U.S. up 3.8%
• Europe up 5.3%
• Asia/Pacific, Middle East and Africa up 3.9%

“McDonald’s continues to connect with customers through our outstanding menu variety and compelling value, unbeatable convenience and contemporary restaurants,” said McDonald’s Chief Executive Officer Jim Skinner. “These competitive advantages have powered our ongoing momentum and delivered another month of strong sales performance.”

U.S. comparable sales rose 3.8% in April as McDonald’s remains a relevant and affordable choice for consumers. Top contributors to April’s results were beverages, including new McCafe offerings like Frappes, core products like Chicken McNuggets, and an all-day, everyday value message that starts with the Dollar Menu at breakfast.

In Europe, the Company’s strong performance continued as April comparable sales increased 5.3% led by positive sales growth in France, the U.K., Germany and Russia.  McDonald’s European business continues to benefit from customer-focused strategies around menu choice, everyday affordability and restaurant reimaging.

Comparable sales were up 3.9% in Asia/Pacific, Middle East and Africa, driven by performance in Australia and many other markets. Extended value programs, locally-relevant menu variety, convenience and service enhancements contributed to the segment’s April performance.

Systemwide sales rose 10.3%, or 6.4% in constant currencies, for the month.

I came across this classic McDonald’s commercial from the early seventies today. A nice song and dance production that I still remember seeing as a kid. A lot of familiar faces, including one of my favorite actors of all time, John Amos. Classic advertising. And sure to bring a smile.

McDonald’s has signed on as an early user of Facebook’s new location feature called the Geolocation  which could launch as early as this month. The new feature will give users the ability to include their location within a status update. The same tool will also  be offered to marketers for advertisement purposes.

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McDonald’s Corp., the world’s biggest fast-food chain operator, is looking for new franchise partners in China, expanding a six-year-old trial programme in its fastest growing market, a spokeswoman said on Thursday.

McDonald’s relies heavily on franchises in more mature markets such as United States, but has almost exclusively opened self-operated stores in China since entering the market two decades ago.

The company launched a pilot franchise programme in China, but has so far limited it to three franchisees running six restaurants.

It moved to expand up the process in April, posting information on its China website inviting new franchise applicants as it accelerates a plan to double its China network to more than 2,000 outlets by 2013.

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