Home improvement retailer Lowe’s Cos. announced Friday the appointment of Raul Alvarez, former president and chief operating officer of McDonald’s Corp., to its board. He will serve on the board’s governance and audit committees. Get the full story »
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McDonald’s sells yuan bonds in Hong Kong
Oak Brook-based McDonald’s Corp., the world’s largest restaurant chain, sold $29 million in yuan-denominated notes, becoming the first foreign non-financial company to sell yuan-denominated bonds in Hong Kong.
Wendy’s/Arby’s Group reports lower 2Q profit
Wendy’s/Arby’s Group Inc. said Thursday that its second-quarter net income fell by more than 28 percent as sales fell and charges cut into results. The fast-food company also cut its full-year outlook, predicting that business at its hamburger chain would likely slow.
McDonald’s starts selling Angus snack wraps
McDonald’s on Tuesday will add Angus snack wraps to its menu, marrying its Angus burger line with its popular snack wrap menu items.
Each of the three varieties to be introduced, deluxe, bacon and cheese and mushroom and swiss, will feature a third-pound beef patty wrapped in a soft flour tortilla. It is the first evolution of the Angus third-pound burger line that was added to the menu in 2009. Wraps were introduced in 2006.
McDonald’s discussed plans for the wrap at its second-quarter earnings call last month, underscoring that the sandwich itself has performed better than expectations. Chief operating officer Don Thompson acknowledged the possibility that the Angus wrap could eventually replace the Mac Snack Wrap. The Mac wrap nearly doubled snack wrap sales when it launched earlier this year. Sales have tapered off since. Thompson promised even more variety on the way for the wrap category. Get the full story »
Smoothies help boost McDonald’s July sales 5.7%
McDonald’s Corp.’s beverages, including its recently launched fruit smoothies and frappes, helped the burger giant record a 5.7 percent July sales improvement in U.S. restaurants open at least 13 months. Get the full story »
McDonald’s toy probed after Conn. safety complaint
Federal consumer safety officials are investigating a complaint that a 4-year-old Connecticut boy nearly strangled himself with a toy from a McDonald’s Happy Meal. Connecticut consumer protection Commissioner Jerry Farrell Jr. said Monday that the boy from the New London area put the “Last Airbender Katara” bracelet-like toy around his neck June 30 and began to lose consciousness. He says his mother removed it before any serious harm was done. Get the full story »
McDonald’s coupon problem smoothed over
Chicago resident Danna Brim visited McDonalds.com and found a $1-off coupon for one real fruit smoothie, the newest beverage offered in the McCafe drink line. The coupon is limited to one person per visit, expires after Aug. 15, and is “valid only at participating U.S. McDonald’s,” according to the company’s Web site. Brim printed her coupon and on Friday morning headed to the McDonald’s at the intersection of Addison and California Avenues. To her dismay, the McDonald’s employee informed her that location would not honor her coupon.
Sales gains drive McDonald’s 2Q profit up 12.8%
McDonald’s Corp. said high traffic and new menu items such as frappes and smoothies helped propel its second-quarter profit 12.8 percent to $1.2 billion, from $1.09 billion in the same period a year ago.
The Oak Brook-based company’s earnings per share grew 15 percent from the year-ago period to $1.13.
“McDonald’s second quarter reflects strong top-line and bottom-line results with each area of the world generating higher comparable sales, traffic and profits,” CEO Jim Skinner said in a statement. Get the full story »
Burger King rolls out kids’ breakfast meals
Burger King is upping the ante on its march into the breakfast market, with national roll out of meals for kids.
The meal includes a kids breakfast sandwich, apple slices, a calcium-fortified apple juice — and a toy. It has 410 calories, 11.5 grams of fat, and 4 grams of saturated fat and conforms to lower-fat and –calorie standards defined by the Council of Better Business Bureau’s Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative, Burger King said. Get the full story »
McDonald’s cancels free smoothie samples
McDonald’s Corp. has cancelled an in-store free sampling of fruit smoothies that had been scheduled for next week following worries the event’s popularity would cause the fast-food chain to run out of the product.
“The McCafe Real Fruit Smoothies are an absolute hit with our customers and we’re experiencing unprecedented demand for this delicious new choice on our menu,” the Oak Brook-based company said in a statement to the Tribune today. Get the full story »
McDonald’s smoothies go nationwide Tuesday
McDonald’s chef Dan Coudreaut looks on as U.S. Olympic Gold Medalist Picabo Street promotes McDonald's new smoothies at the Vancouver Olympics. (McDonald's)
McDonald’s Corp. launches its smoothies nationwide Tuesday, bringing a marketing machine hitherto unseen by the category. The company declined to disclose the budget behind the smoothie’s launch, but McDonald’s Marketing Director Sofia Therios calls it a “respectable investment” for a company that spends more than $1.2 billion advertising annually in the U.S., according to Advertising Age’s DataCenter. Get the full story »
Ex-McDonald’s execs cook up casual concept
From Advertising Age | Two former McDonald’s executives plan to launch a chain of casual dining restaurants emphasizing healthy fair including steel-cut oats and pita pockets starting next year.
McDonald’s draws on ethnic flavor to drive sales
From Bloomberg News | McDonald’s marketing team is studying how minority tastes can influence mainstream preferences as part of an effort to encourage middle-class whites to buy smoothies and snack wraps as avidly as they consume hip-hop and rock ‘n’ roll.
Former McDonald’s exec exits as H&R Block CEO
H&R Block Inc. named Alan M. Bennett as its new president and CEO after its previous chief executive, Russ Smyth, resigned to take another CEO post. The executive shuffle comes as the nation’s largest tax preparer struggles with the growing popularity of do-it-yourself online filing.
The company said Smyth resigned in order to take the CEO job at a privately held Chicago-based company, which it did not name. A longtime McDonald’s Corp. executive, Smyth was chosen for the post two years ago because of his experience in franchise operations and brand building. Get the full story »
McDonald’s CEO stands up for Happy Meals
Dylan Maki, 4, of Evanston, plays with his Happy Meal toy outside of the McDonald's at Navy Pier on July 7, 2010. (William DeShazer/Chicago Tribune)
McDonald’s defended its Happy Meals on Wednesday against claims by a consumer advocacy group, with McDonald’s CEO Jim Skinner saying that “Happy Meals are a fun treat, with right-sized, quality food choices.”
Skinner’s letter addressing this issue comes a week after the Center for Science in the Public Interest sent a letter to McDonald’s threatening to sue if the company didn’t stop using toys to market Happy Meals to young children.
“By advertising that Happy Meals include toys, McDonald’s unfairly and deceptively markets directly to children,” the letter stated. Get the full story »
