How Many Big Macs Can The World Eat?

Forbes Crunches the Numbers on MCD Store Growth

Wendy's Logo Updated

Wendy's pigtails get first touch-up since 1983

Poultry in Motion?

“As beef prices have risen and will continue to do so, many chain restaurants’ menu R&D efforts have shifted to chicken… as a way to offer innovation around a protein that is less expensive than burgers or other forms of beef,” Hayden says. Yes, the escalating cost of livestock feed will make chicken prices go up, too, but the increase won’t be as steep.

Big Bird: Why Fast Food Companies Are Suddenly In Love With Chicken | Moneyland | TIME.com:
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Best Fast Food Drive Thru

Best Fast Food Drive Thru Operations Share Success Secrets - QSR magazine:
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Restaurant Commodities Costs Could Rise

Restaurant commodities costs could rise on reduced corn, soybean crops | Nation's Restaurant News:
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McDonald's Dividend Depends On How Well Its Franchisees Do

McDonald's Dividend Depends On How Well Its Franchisees Do - Seeking Alpha:
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McDonald's Coffee Beans Could Soon Be Sold To-Go

How would that build sales at the restaurants?
Oh - it wouldn't - never mind.

McDonald's Coffee Beans Could Soon Be Sold To-Go:
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Arby’s Wants to Be a "Sandwich Shop"

Arby’s Seeks to Drop Fast-Food Image in New Ad Campaign - Businessweek:
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Durable Goods and McDonald's Sales

It was at least twenty years ago that our Co-Op saw a presentation from Oak Brook
"experts" who observed that over the years McDonald's benefited from an increase
in durable goods orders in the United States. Hedgeye Research just released a report
charting durable goods since 1997.

The HEDGEYE report is HERE

(Clicking on the chart brings up a larger and easier to read version)

Durable goods were generally positive in the late 1990s but McDonald's missed out on
that trend because of the cannibalization of the Convenience Strategy and the impact
of slow service times resulting from "Made For You". The increases beginning in 2003
are reported to be because of the "Plan to Win" but it looks like durable goods might also
have contributed to this success. Durable goods took a huge dip in  2009 and that was the
softest year out of the last ten for same store sales at McDonald's USA. I've made the case
that sales were poor in 2009 because McDonald's Operators wasted their advertising $$$
on espresso based drinks. But, there were strong economic headwinds.

While sales at McDonald's USA don't track perfectly with durable goods it's an interesting
metric to watch.
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