| # of restaurants | has no date. Also, one data point is difficult to grasp. Compare to another restaurant chain or international company for effect. |
| "Did somebody say…" | Slogans are all jingles (set to music), most are by Chicago's Leo Burnett ad agency (who brought us Jolly Green Giant, Pillsbury Doughboy, Tony the Tiger, Marlboro Man, Keebler elves, Morris the Cat) proving "images, not words, are the nuclear power of advertising." |
| 1948 Dick & Mac | Early "history" (if that's the label students choose), but nothing is given since '61--need to fill in the last 40 years or just call this cluster "Beginnings" or "How McDonald's started." |
| '01 non-US | McD expands after saturating the US market. There's one McDonald's for every 30,000 people in the US. |
| Egg McMuffin | created by McD. Most menu items are developed by franchise owners to meet local taste (not in a lab), then they are standardized in preparation, ingredients. |
| '01 sales | increasing but net income and profits are dropping. Need to compare '01 sales (or any stat) with something else so it will have meaning. Compare to prior years or compare with Burger King, Wendy's , KFC. |
| Happy Meals | Tiny portions of food, gift-wrapped, with a toy! Marketing at kids. Toys>collectors' items ("Beany Babies"). |
| "You Deserve" | see "Did somebody say…" (above) |
| Filet-o-Fish | Developed by a franchisee for Catholics who ate no meat on Friday. Many menu items invented by franchisees, not in corporate lab. |
| "We love to see" | see "Did somebody say…" (above) |
| 1961 Kroc | see 1948 Dick & Mac |
| Chipotle Mexican Grill | subsidiary of McC. Denver chain, owner trained at Culinary Institute of America, used tricks from elite, posh restaurants for menu and concept. 100 in '01. McD plans to open 50/yr in major US cities. Adult market. No visible connection to McD. |
| Jose Bove | French farmer who led revolt against McD & destroyed a McD construction site. Anti-fast food, anti-globalization. Now serving a jail term? |
| French fries in beef fat | for better flavor. McD sued by religious and vegetarian groups. Paid $12 million out of court settlement for deceiving the public. |
| "global realization" | Remember "manifest destiny" from American history? This is McD's phrase describing its plans to continue expanding worldwide. |
| "Two all beef …" | see "Did somebody say…" (above) |
| Chicken McNuggets | a "first" at McD. They even developed a new breed of chicken to provide more meat for McNuggets. |
| Boston Market | McD bought out bankrupt co. Closed & converted some, but introduced new menu items, new mgmt. techniques and chain is now profitable in <3 yrs. No visible connection to McD. |
| Monopoly scandal | Employee of promotional agency that ran the game gave the winning tickets to his friends & family. They split the cash—every time. The man, the agency & McD's are all being sued by US consumer groups. |
| Value Meals | Spend more money! Eat more food! Size of portions has steadily increased, so has price. |
| "McWorld" | anti-McDonald's label applies to globalization quality of food, treatment of workers, impact on local cultures and the environment. |
| '00 employees | must have '01 figure to compare with other data in this set. |
| 1954 | see 1948 Dick & Mac |
| Cantalupo | He just took office 1/1/03 because McD's profits for the first time under previous leadership. This item might stand alone. Even though he's an important fact about McD's , it's OK to drop it if it's not relevant to other "stories." |
| Clean bathrooms | McD actually has a positive effect on other cultures. Examples —set the standard for clean public bathrooms, established the custom of queuing for service in China where before people gathered in mobs, waved money and shouted for attention. |
| Big Mac | a food first for McD |
| World's largest owner | theory that Kroc wanted to own real estate, selling hamburgers paid off the land. |
| McLibel case | McD sued 2 UK environmentalists and won in '97. PR disaster for McD (Goliath multinational destroys tiny opponents). Appeal later ruled that part of environmentalists' claims were true—bad pay & worker conditions, and high fat content of foods. |
| '01 net income | shrinking. Compare w/other years. |
| Hamburger/earthworms | Untrue rumor in '78. Forced McD to launch a national campaign to quell rumors. Responsible for drop in sales for at least one quarter. |
| Pret a Manger | McD is part owner of this UK chain that features sandwiches, salads, sushi, desserts made from fresh ingredients. A few stores in NYC and Hong Kong. Royal connection: Buckingham Palace is a regular customer. |
| hot coffee lawsuit | Coffee scalded elderly woman, 3rd degree burns, $6 million awarded but later reduced to several hundred thousand. Despite posted warnings and precautions, people still sue McD about hot coffee. |
| McD no more than
once a week |
suggested by the French franchise marketers to quell alarm over high fat menu and rise in obesity; denounced by U.S. McD marketers |
| obesity lawsuit | filed by 55 year old man from NY, claims he didn't know fast food was bad for his health. Also named other chains in lawsuit. |
| Fazoli's | McD is part owner of this casual Italian style eatery, with option to buy the company after developing several markets in the U.S. |