Birth: November 14, 1943 Death: April 19, 2004
McDonald's is almost 50 years old. For 47 years we had a pretty consistent track record of being able to deliver admirable sales..
Salads was a big indicator of that - there was a huge market out there for it. And why not tap it? Some of the things we are doing now around the glo….
But, on balance, we seized the marketplace. We've got a great infrastructure. And yes it's struggling in some areas because of some external factors ….
When you raise prices, you've got to make sure you get it to the bottom line. You can fritter it away because of the way you're running the business,….
You have got to have discipline and focus - on the customer and how you run the business..
And so if your competitors aren't growing, if there isn't a competitive reason to grow, and you want focus and discipline to add customers to existin….
Playtime and toys are good for kids, or they wouldn't buy them. McDonald's can provide that experience. And having dinner with the family is good for….
Some of the analysts were saying, Now you're a cash cow, there's no growth at all, pay it all out in dividends, give me it all, you can't invest wise….
But you know the second month I was here I put out a healthy lifestyles directive. The pundits will say it was because we were sued. Well that's what….
So Europe's a big driver. And at one point, if the euro hadn't devalued, they would have been making as much money as the US with half the stores. Re….
We cover hamburgers, chicken, veggie burgers, salads, we've got a pretty broad range. To me, McDonald's isn't only about the food. It's about the pri….
But we had a pretty diversified portfolio of businesses around the world and things tended to offset each other. But one or two years ago, we had a l….
I talked about 12 to 18 months, and that's about reaffirming our foundation for sustained growth: getting the discipline back, getting the basics rig….
I think this year we'll open up 900 gross, we're closing some, so the net count is lower, but the 900 are spread all over the place. Some of the clos….
I think we'll still be a family restaurant, we'll be contemporary, we'll be lifestyle, we won't be old, we won't be 60 years old in the view of the c….
As I said, I haven't spent a lot of time thinking about partner brands..
I think we have a great track record on being relevant, on identifying consumer trends, needs and wants..