Coalition of Franchisee Associations

October 25, 2018

Burger King Plays Catch-Up

Three years ago McDonald's began copying the path Burger King had already been
on for several years - financial engineering and refranchising.

Since Wall Street believes the McSpin, Burger King is now copying McDonald's
digital strategy - not because it works - because it impresses investors.

"Burger King Of Tomorrow" or BKOT?

Burger King’s owner plays 'catch-up' on technology
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October 24, 2018

A Discussion on Twitter

This is a super legitimate point. Just about every major QSR chain in the publicly traded universe has unloaded nearly all of their stores on franchisees. And then they discount the hell out of the menu even as labor costs skyrocket.

National Owners Association Has Updated Website

With videos of October meeting and historical McDonald's clips
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October 18, 2018

Discounting Fails Del Taco

"During this past quarter, Del Taco found weakness in its bargain $1 Chicken Quesadilla Snacker, which drove customers into the store but failed to pay off in sales for the brand."

Del Taco Shifts Value Menu Focus
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October 16, 2018

NRN and QSRmag on NOA

McDonald's Operators Move to Form Franchisee Association - NRN

McDonald's Franchisees Band Together - QSRmag
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From One of MCD Corporate Internet Trolls

just let franchisees push the ETOF remodel for their restaurants by 1 year (into 2020) if their restaurant was recently remodeled. Let’s operators get 1 more year out of a location which decor may only be 2 yrs old (& still may be paying off that CAPEX). Great move

October 11, 2018

Best Line of the Day

"One (1) email generated a response from 400 operators to come to the meeting. Operators from all over the country flew through a hurricane to get to Tampa. 
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October 10, 2018

Start Of Something Big?

McDonald’s operators consider a franchisee association
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Attorney Carmen Caruso on Facebook

Today I addressed a meeting of over 300 McDonald’s franchise owners gathered in Tampa, Florida, who are seeking to work with McDonald’s to positively impact the system for the benefit of all franchisees, McDonald’s company, its shareholders, and ultimately the customers.

October 9, 2018

This Is The McDonald's Fred Turner Warned Us About

If you've taken my advice to read John Love's book "McDonald's: Behind The Arches" 
you'll remember the last several pages of the original book focuses on Fred's dream of 
having McDonald's Operators and suppliers own a large chunk of McDonald's stock.

At the 1986 Worldwide Fred told the convention, "I own some of your store, now I want 
you to own some of mine".

The book says this effort was about making the company more entrepreneurial. Maybe 
it was but there's a back story. 

McDonald's was a darling of Wall Street and management was concerned that outside 
investor groups or hostile entities would someday control enough shares to have a major influence on how the company operated. Putting 20/30/40% of the shares in the control
of McDonald's Operators, suppliers, and company employees could prevent that from happening. 

The three-legged stool would be able to protect the company.

Protect it from what? Investors who didn't understand the culture of the system. Greedy investors who wanted to take excessive cash out of the company. Shareholders who didn't understand the need for solid, productive franchisees.

But now, five years after his passing, Fred's fears have been realized. It happened from 
the inside, not by outside robber barons.

The company and the Operators have been stripped mined to return cash to MCD shareholders. The culture has been changed or erased by individuals who don't know 
what made the system successful. Franchisees are considered liabilities not an asset.

The McDonald's board of directors was once peppered with executives from some of the 
major system suppliers. Those folks are gone and the board is made up people with no 
history with, or connection to McDonald's.

Only McDonald's Operators can fix McDonald's because they are the only people left who remember how McDonald's is supposed to work.
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JIB Franchisees Are Revolting

Jack in the Box franchisees want the company to replace its CEO
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October 3, 2018

So Why is All This Discounting Necessary?

Higher income adults eat more fast food


More than 1 in 3 Americans eat fast food on a typical day, and we eat it all day long - LATimes
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McDonald's Age Discrimination Lawsuit - Update

Article says: "Unlike some other franchisees, the return on investment looks dicey. That’s because Lentini turned 81 years old in August."

I say: From what I hear the ROI on EOTF and BV2020 looks dicey if you're 41 years old.


‘Things have changed’ as 50-year operator fights rebuild rule - Franchise Times
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