Making Ronald Right

By George Anderson

Bruce Horovitz has some advice for James Cantalupo, the next chief executive of McDonald’s in a USA Today article, Ten things McDonald’s must do to get its house in order. These are:

1. Fix the food. It doesn’t taste very good.


2. Serve it hot. Customers complain that food is not hot enough.


3. Lose the lines. Prepare food in advance.


4. Clean up the joint. No one wants to eat in a garbage dump.


5. Don’t ignore grown-ups. Create menus for grown up tastes.


6. Get relevant. Improve the ambience. Food service is about experience.


7. Grow smarter. McDonald’s needs to do a better job of expanding into other cuisines/formats.


8. Let R&D’s hair down. Where’s the new product?


9. Fix the ads. The message is the food.


10. Melt the cheese. Consumers have expectations about product. Focus on meeting those expectations.

Moderator’s Comment: What is wrong with McDonald’s?
What will fix it?

Many think that Mickey D’s needs to get back to what made
it great. We’re not sure that what made McDonald’s great in 1972 will still
fly in 2002. [George
Anderson – Moderator]

•  Ten
  things McDonald’s must do to get its house in order – USA Today