McDonald's Marketing Wizard, Paul Schrage Passes

For those who haven't heard, Paul Schrage passed away on January 28th

         Paul's obituary is HERE       

The Bigger They Are ...

43-store Subway franchisee files for bankruptcy - Maze

From the Recent Kalinowski Operator Survey

Stolen from Mark's Winter 2026 survey:

"We asked our franchisee contacts “Regarding the changes to the National Franchising Standards, effective January 1, 2026, are you in favor of them or not?” As it turns out, every single one of the franchisees who responded to this question said “No.” This is the first time in the 20+ year history of our McDonald’s Franchisee Survey that all respondents to a Yes-or-No question have all provided the exact same answer. As one franchisee put it: “I see a lot of civil disobedience and conflict in the future.”

NOA and the McDonald's Bill of Rights

McDonald's franchisees send a message with a "bill of rights"

Is This A Good Time to Lower QPC Prices?

 Winter weather not helping with low cattle herd numbers

Don't Miss the Discussion Here...

fegroupblog/and so it begins

QSR Magazine Drive-Thru Study

Somehow, every year, the annual QSR drive-thru study gets further and further away from reality. To claim that Taco Bell does a better job in drive-thru than McDonald's is silly. It's not a reasonable comparison. Taco Bell's AUV is $1.2 million. It's like comparing an Ace Hardware store to a Home Depot.

Maybe even sillier is comparing a KFC to a Chick-fil-A.

QSRmag drive-thru report - 2025

8000 New McDonald's

This kind of press release/article is generated ahead of the regular earnings announcements. In this case, McDonald's will release Fourth Quarter 2025 and year-end results on February Eleventh.

Will they make the 8,000-store goal? No one knows, given McDonald's global scope. We do know one thing: stakeholders in McDonald's don't care. Stakeholders want earnings, not the number of locations. If PJB delivers the expected earnings, stakeholders will not fuss over whether he expanded the system by 8,000 stores or 2,000 stores.

This is just part of the ongoing corporate charade that McDonald's Corporation is still a growth company.

A company focused on the number of global locations is not concerned with the profitability of the individual unit.

McDonald's is opening 8000 new restaurants - Geekspin

PJB Working on His Legacy

McDonald's CEO and his 2025 predictions - Entrepreneur mag

And So It Begins

McDonald's Canada freezes price of small coffee and McValue meals

"And will they be willing to sacrifice? I think McDonald's is very clearly saying we will sacrifice profits and future earnings over foot traffic."  Jo-Ann McArthur- Nourish Food Marketing,