Gives 6 bloggers a peek at inner workings
Washington Post Nov 20, 08 5:37 CST
(Newser)
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McDonald's is trying to harness mom power to help shake its unhealthy image, reports the Washington Post . The burger joint has recruited six mothers to serve as "quality correspondents" and is giving them unprecedented access to the company's operations in the hope they will share their favorable findings about the chain's quality control and the healthy side of its menu.
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MARKETS
Earnings reports quash session's early gains
Wall Street Journal Nov 10, 08 3:26 PM CST
(Newser)
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An early rally in reaction to the Chinese government’s fiscal stimulus package couldn’t hold up and the markets ended today's session with losses. Poor quarterly earnings reports soured investor confidence, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Dow fell 73.27 to close at 8,871. The Nasdaq lost 30.66, settling at 1,617, while the S&P 500 lost 11.78 to close at 919.21.
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Recession? Ronald is lovin' it
Associated Press Nov 10, 08 12:40 PM CST
(AP)
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Consumers worldwide who are watching their spending bought more burgers and chicken breakfast biscuits at McDonald's in October, leading to a big rise in sales at established locations. The corporation said today its global same-store sales jumped 8.2% during the month, beating the company's own prediction for a rise similar last quarter's 7.1% rise.
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McDonald's new burger, with less cheese, takes standby's place on dollar menu
Chicago Tribune Oct 29, 08 5:01 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Grumbling from franchisees has McDonald’s set to bump the price of its double cheeseburger up to $1.19, the Chicago Tribun e reports. That, of course, would knock it off the popular dollar menu, so plans are to replace it there with the new McDouble—virtually the same burger but with only one slice of cheese instead of two. Franchise owners—who operate 85% of US outlets—complained that soaring ingredient costs were killing profits.
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Hershey, others quietly substitute cheaper ingredients, fillers
Wall Street Journal Aug 23, 08 10:01 CDT
(Newser)
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Food manufacturers are adjusting their recipes to cut costs as ingredient prices climb, the Wall Street Journal reports. Hershey is replacing some of its cocoa butter with vegetable oil, while General Mills is dumping pecans for walnuts in one cookie. McCormick, McDonald's, and other companies are making similar moves. But prices are staying the same—or rising—for consumers.
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McDonald's French operation is company's 2nd most profitable
Times (UK) Aug 19, 08 11:59 CDT
(Newser)
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After the US, what country has the most profitable McDonald's franchises in the world? The surprising answer: it's France, home of the Michelin Guide and the three-hour lunch. The London Times travels to Paris to discover how the French have begun to adopt Anglo-American eating practices, abandoning the leisurely midday meal for a burger or sandwich to go.
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Maybe the typical American will have trouble identifying with a 'beanpole'
Wall Street Journal Aug 1, 08 4:42 PM CDT
(Newser)
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No matter how long the 2008 campaign drags on, we'll never see Barack Obama as we did Bill Clinton in 1992: drenched in sweat and jogging into a McDonald's. Obama's fit—skinny, even—and a bit of a gym rat. The Wall Street Journal takes a look at the notion of presidential fitness and wonders if the typical American might find a "beanpole guy," as one voter described him, a little alienating.
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FBI agents discovered he liked them during interrogations
Reuters Jul 26, 08 1:31 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Osama bin Laden’s driver warmed up to interrogators after he was given McDonald’s french fries, Reuters reports. He "even appreciated that McDonald's fries are not good cold," an FBI agent testified yesterday at Salim Hamdan’s war crimes trial. In another instance, he perked up when permitted to call his wife—after being held for 7 months.
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'Two all-beef patties' Big Mac slogan seeks new tune on MySpace
New York Times Jul 17, 08 8:47 CDT
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In 1974, with an unpopular war raging and inflation on the rise, McDonald's launched a jingle—"Two all beef patties, special sauce..."—to promote its signature product, the Big Mac. Decades later, in similar circumstances, the fast food giant is reintroducing the mantra-like list of ingredients via a MySpace competition. The New York Times looks at how the economic downturn is driving advertising retro.
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Salmonella outbreak prompts cautionary ban on sliced garnish
Chicago Tribune Jun 9, 08 1:53 PM CDT
(Newser)
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McDonald’s is pulling sliced tomatoes from its sandwiches following a nationwide outbreak of salmonella linked to the fruit. A spokesman was quick to note that the chain has not detected the bacteria in its supplies, “but with an abundance of caution, we want to make sure our food items containing tomatoes are absolutely safe," he told the Chicago Tribune .
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Mickey D's forking
over 40,000 meals
Associated Press May 22, 08 10:24 CDT
(Newser)
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Mega-companies are defending themselves against harsh criticism on Chinese websites that they’ve done too little to help earthquake survivors, AP reports. Companies such as McDonald’s, Wal-Mart, and Nokia were labeled “International Super-Misers” on one site. "We've been involved in helping and responding since day one,” said a McDonald’s rep, who added that the company pledged $15 million and is donating 40,000 meals.
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Crowing over poultry growth, chain takes a cue from the South
Chicago Tribune May 13, 08 4:40 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Breakfast sandwiches are the latest move in McDonald's plan to tie its fortunes to the chicken coop, the Chicago Tribune reports. McDonald's has identified poultry as one of four areas crucial to long-term growth, and has debuted a new chicken option every year since 2003. Popular in the South, the chain's betting chicken for breakfast takes flight in the North, too.
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Green Mountain Coffee Roasters is climbing, financially and socially
Barre-Montpelier Times Argus May 9, 08 9:00 PM CDT
(Newser)
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A success story is brewing in tiny-town Vermont, where a coffee roaster is supplying beans to 600 McDonald's restaurants across 50 states and 25 countries. The creator of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Bob Stiller, never imagined such a feat—nor the $121 million in sales last quarter—when he started the business in 1981. "This vision of today was not in his mind," Green Mountain exec Jon Wettstein said.
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