Anonymous Comment of the Month - May 2026

Unknown commented on "Starbucks CEO Has Blunt Message on Discounts"

May 6, 2026

"Got a call from my Field Office Vice-President - "It looks like your not following the recomnedation of Deliotte pricing on under $3, just wanted to bring it to your attention, your affected pricing is above what it was previously" No S..t, I am already discounting a McChicken a dollar lower than before and explain their whole math to them. I also mentioned just spending close to $50K average per restaurant on Technology and just recevied my new NRBES which is probably over $100k per restaurant and McD's want six month plan to complete. Ok so let's sell basically items under $3, lower a dozen or so other items which items sold now at discount will be over 50% of the products sold, not sure where they think the money will be coming from." 

Starbucks: To AI or not to AI

At Starbucks, pen and paper beats AI

"As the chain suggested, restaurants should consider where AI really adds value—and where it just adds more work." 

But Will He Smear Soft-Serve on His Baconator?

Jonathan Maze on Wendy's new CEO - RestBusiness

Chicago: McDonald's Park to Open in 2028

Given the growing popularity of soccer, this appears to be a good move and should benefit the brand worldwide. Just don't stick the Chicago Owner/Operator with the entire bill.

Chicago soccer club to name McDonald's stadium

FOX News - Chicago

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Speaking of things that are good for the McDonald's brand: Am I just missing it, or is McDonald's USA doing nothing to join the companies celebrating the 250 year (semiquincentennial) anniversary of the United States? I know some Owners are taking action, but where is corporate or OPNAD? McDonald's is a premier American company and should be at the forefront of this opportunity.

I expect the attention to this holiday will be the most intense, beginning with Memorial Day and culminating on the Fourth of July. It's not too late to make some plans if none

exist.

                 

The $20 Million Man and MCD Share Price

Anyone who follows or invests in publicly traded stocks has seen situations where the price of the stock takes a hit due to unexpected results or some news that frightens investors. Very often, the price of the stock will rebound, sometimes the next day, and sometimes back to a newer high. This is a sign that investors have confidence that management has the skills and experience to move the company forward. Without this confidence, the stock price will stagnate or drift lower.

There are many factors impacting the recent performance of McDonald's shares but a major one has to be the embarrassing performances of the CEO on social media. How can one have confidence in such an executive, given his tomfoolery?

Any news about McDonald's universally mentions his hesitations about the food.

This is not the road to recovery for the share price.

Source: stockcharts.com

MCD Won't Make 50K Stores on Time - That's a Good Thing

From QSR Magazine:

"However, Borden and Kempczinski emphasized that development decisions will be based on returns rather than hitting a fixed unit target.

“We’re not chasing an absolute growth number,” Kempczinski said, noting that locations that no longer meet return thresholds due to rising construction or supply chain costs will be removed from the pipeline."

Not chasing a number? They've been chasing a number since the announcement of "Accelerating the Arches". It's obvious this inexperienced management team, with little experience building stores, is running into snags they didn't expect.

While it's not a scientific measurement, there have been numerous press articles about cities, towns, and communities giving the corporation a hard time about permitting a location. For an experienced McDonald's person, this is nothing new. It's been happening since the 1970s. There's always a group in the area who think they know better, or one or two grey-haired hippies on the local council or planning board. But PJB wouldn't know that.

Using construction costs as an excuse is silly since they can just pass those costs on to the franchisee. Unless they are building a McOpCo, and it doesn't seem they'll be doing much of that.

So, PJB is laying the groundwork for a future admission that he can't make the previously announced goals.

QSR Magazine - McDonald's weighs refranchising

Two Views on Discounting - Jonathan Maze

Burger King says: " We don't need no stinking discounting".

McDonald's says: Those margins were “not acceptable,” CFO Ian Borden told analysts.

Analysts Worried MCD Owners Will Raise Prices

If one reads the analyst's comments in both the transcript and the press, it's obvious that management will be selling a bunch of McOpCos this summer. A CEO with no restaurant experience can't make money in the restaurant business? Who'da thunk it?

Bernstein cuts MCD target on franchisee concerns

McDonald's Announces Q1 2026 Results

McDonald's first quarter 2006 earnings announced - Fortune

Investor conference call transcript - Yahoo

Is OPNAD Ready For A 60th Birthday?

There have been many comments mentioning OPNAD. While I doubt McDonald's Owners read them, profiles and press releases about McDonald's corporate personnel often mention that the featured person has been involved in "modernizing" McDonald's. 

What about modernizing OPNAD?

OPNAD was launched in the late 1960s as an Owner/Operator initiative.

 Keep in mind, in the late 1960s:

The Vietnam War was at its peak.

Lyndon Johnson was POTUS.

Seat belts were only an option in new cars.

No one on McDonald's senior management team had been born yet.

Yet, OPNAD keeps marching along as though it is part of the McDonald's franchise. It's really not. It's just that management has worked hard at making it seem so.

If McDonald's Owner/Operators are unhappy with, or don't trust, OPNAD, shouldn't this financial powerhouse be modernized?