February 28, 2023
McCEO Addresses International Franchise Association
Mr. K and franchisors worried about legislation
Thanks to the anonymous commenter who stated, "The IFA is NOT a franchisee-friendly group."
The IFA is 60 years old and yet they only allowed franchisees to join about 20 years ago. The IFA will always come down on the side of the franchisors. They can't be ignored, but for franchisees, they can't really be trusted..
February 27, 2023
CEO Lip Service on Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7036075731784785920/
Chris Kempczinski
(He/Him)"Small businesses have the power to transform lives and communities – and McDonald’s franchisees epitomize that statement. Our franchisees not only provide delicious food to customers each day, they are relied upon by the communities in which they serve. We know that when franchisors and franchisees succeed, communities succeed. Local suppliers succeed. Families succeed. Our economy succeeds. If franchise businesses were to go away, so too would opportunities for wealth generation for tens of thousands of underrepresented entrepreneurs, millions of jobs, and billions in GDP. I recently spoke to a group of franchisees at the International Franchise Association about why we are so passionate about the economic multiplier effect of franchising, and I’d encourage you to read my perspective. #IFA2023"
Unions Won't Give Up on Joint Employer
Not content to wait for AB257 California dems are moving forward with AB1228
Monday Tweet from Jonathan Maze
February 24, 2023
NOA - A Hot Topic of Discussion
We received a comment about NOA and it got such a swift reaction that it deserves its own page,
First came a long reaction from someone who I suspect is a founding member of NOA.
That's posted HERE and at the top of our home page.
Plus we got several other comments that are duplicated below.
Here's the original comment:
"I’d like to join the NOA but talking to a couple other operators that are members, I never hear anything productive that the NOA is doing. I’ve never experienced a corporate employee discourage me personally from joining but I really thought that the NOA didn’t exist anymore after Blake left. I 100% agree we need an advocacy group other than the NFLA representing us but since I never hear anything about the NOA I think it’s a waste of money."
Then followed:
To the above----READ and LEARN >>>>> https://nationalownersassociation.com/about/
"Anonymous said...The NOA will not waiver as your advocacy organization, your voice of truth. We are committed to you, our members, and to the hundreds of thousands of employees that serve millions of guests each day. We will collaborate with our elected Owner leadership to determine ways to positively impact the System for the benefit of our restaurant teams, our customers, the brand and ultimately, our shareholders. The NOA was never just about our founders. It has always been about you. We are reimagined with an aggressive agenda to assist all owners, and WE ARE HERE TO STAY. Our brightest days are yet to be."
"Anonymous said...The future vision for the NOA is broken down in to 5 areas,
1. Advocacy
a. The NOA will be regarded as the Umbrella Advocacy Body. We represent and advocate for every owner/operator.
b. We will provide a mechanism for Owner/operators to confidentially register their concerns, grievances and inappropriate conduct aired against them by McDonald’s
2. Leadership Development
a. The NOA will become the Leadership Development mechanism of the Owner/Operator body.
b. Peers and advisors providing seminars on business acumen, how to successfully operate a McDonald’s restaurant and how to navigate the political landscape in McDonald’s
3. Next Generation Guidance
a. The NOA will provide education and guidance for Next Generation applicants and Owner/Operators.
b. Peers and advisors assisting in navigating the next gen and spousal program, elevating their McDonald’s financial IQ and learning the important wealth transfer concepts in the everchanging tax and legislative environment
4. Registered Applicant Support
a. The NOA will act as the Orientation and Welcome committee for Register Applicants.
b. Assisting them with essential resources, advisors and insights so that they can be successful, engaged and positive contributors to the owner/operator community and the system.
5. Legislative Activism
a. The NOA will have a Political Agenda.
b. We will work with strategists, lobbyists and legislators to develop grass roots tactics to support our owner/operator franchisees.
c. Our first agenda item is going to be to support our Operators in California who are in the fight of their lives to defeat AB 257.
Every owner/operator will feel and benefit from our advocacy efforts and our strategy. We have expanded our Board of Directors to be even more inclusive. We are growing our membership base now at an incredible pace….and we have a place and role for EVERY Owner/Operator. Our strength is in our alignment, our unity, and numbers. I encourage you to join us, on our journey together.
Join - National Owners Association"
Waste of money????? It's fifty-five cents a day!!! Your crew wastes 200-300 times that in wasted food EVERY DAY!! It's cheap insurance!
Frankly, with your attitude, I seriously question your judgment (or motivation)"
"Anonymous said...
First and foremost, NOA is here to stay. The NOA is NOT closing down. It is NOT going to be muted. Rather, the NOA is reinventing itself. The NOA is the voice of the operator, for the operator and the system. A body that prioritized owner/operators and system advocacy. We are reinvigorated with new life, new ideas and renewed passion.
Many Owners have expressed concern that McDonald's is discouraging them from joining the NOA. Consequently, they are fearful that if they participate, McDonald's might leverage this action against them, their organization or their children. David Bear had a written exchange with Joe Erlinger and Chris Kempczinski and wants to share Joe's exact words with you on this subject...(a quote from the exchange):
"Franchisees remain free to join and participate in the NOA." he goes on to say, "If there are specific instances where you believe that is not the case, we ask you to discuss those situations with us.”
That's exactly what David and the NOA Board intend to do. As a trade association, we have laws in place to protect our rights of association and we will leverage those protections whenever necessary."
February 23, 2023
February 22, 2023
"They're Soulless Little Boxes"
The article below describes the move away from the more flamboyant QSR designs. But there's a little more of an inside spin to the story.
The first QSRs had to be easy to locate and identify. There wasn't a McDonald's at every major intersection so diners had to search around a little. It wasn't because of competition. There really wasn't much competition and most of the competition was blocks or miles away. McDonald's just had to stand out from a lot of mundane mid-century real estate.
But as the industry exploded more and more chains used the location of the local McDonald's to site their new stores.
So, today, we have entire districts filled with QSR locations, usually with a McDonald's in the keystone location. The purpose of the McDonald's building has changed. The modern building should be welcoming, comfortable, and a little bit of fun.
The building should say "Come on in, don't go to that Taco Bell next door".
But too often it doesn't say anything.
Why Pizza Hut red roofs and McDonald's Playplaces have disappeared - CBS News
The original "shoebox" buildings weren't bad looking with awnings, bright colors, and an eyebrow arch. A few trim items created a welcoming feeling.
The next generation has all the charm and warmth of a mausoleum.
February 19, 2023
McBlast From the Past
The following opinion letter was submitted and posted 13 months ago. It's still very powerful, very topical, and shows that McCorporate has allowed little movement on the issues important to McDonald's Owner/Operators.
February 18, 2023
To OPNAD or not to OPNAD
We've had some recent discussions about OPNAD. This resulted in some anonymous comments expressing anonymous legal opinions. A few of these comments were just Owner/Operator mythology passed down through the ages. I'm also suspicious a few were submitted by corporate pukes, maybe from the legal department.
This might be a little confusing but I don't think we should be having legal discussions on this platform. Too much of what McDonald's Owner/Operators think they know about their legal position is just the result of post-CoOp meeting cocktail talk. Or it might be an echo from something a corporate person said once upon a time.
At any rate, I don't want those echoes bouncing around here. What appears here isn't legal advice so please don't offer such.
OPNAD's a good example. Corporate has kept control of OPNAD for half a century with politics and heavy-handed intimidation.
Feel free to discuss OPNAD but as a voluntary advertising fund, not as an ongoing legal obligation.
February 14, 2023
New CEO at Restaurant Brands International
Burger King Owner gets a new boss - Reuters
The new guy is only 36 years old but RBI has a history of putting youn guns in charge. This Bloomberg article is from 2014 featuring then-34-year-old Daniel Shwartz.
February 13, 2023
February 10, 2023
Andy McKenna Dies at 93
Chicago Tribune reports on the longest-serving McDonald's director
With the exception of a few Owner/Operators, Andrew was the last living link to the founders of McDonald's. To every other director or employee of McDonald's Corporation Ray Kroc and Fred Turner are just names on a wall.
February 8, 2023
February 7, 2023
February 5, 2023
February 4, 2023
If Your Company Does Dumb Stuff - It's ESG
ESG standards increasingly used by investors, managers to guide decisions
The Tucker Carlson video seems off-topic but please stick with it.
