Don Thompson, CEO of McDonald’s
Nationwide — No, it’s not a mistake. Many people don’t know this , but the CEO of McDonald’s is Black and his name is Don Thompson. Thompson recently had a conference call with investors and analysts where he revealed the four biggest issues facing the brand, and how he plans to address these issues. But he also forgot to mention some other very important issues that affect Black and Hispanic communities!
#1 – Not Offering the Best Value – First, Thompson mentioned that McDonald’s does not offer the best value like it once did. He said the company has spent several years experimenting with high-end items like Angus beef burgers and Chicken Selects, and that they will focus more on low-priced items such as the Jalapeno McDouble and the Buffalo Ranch McChicken.
#2 – Bad Customer Service – Next, Thompson mentioned how McDonald’s drive-thru wait times have gotten slower over the years partly because of an increasingly complex menu. He plans to add more workers, assign new tasks to existing ones, and remodel the kitchens for faster food assembly.
#3 – Bad Public Relations – Thompson then addressed the bad public image that McDonald’s has, and how many people view the food as just unhealthy junk food. To fix this, he says he will make major changes in the marketing department and launch new marketing/ public relations campaigns.
#4 – Complicated Menu – Finally, Thompson admitted that McDonald’s menu has grown 70% since 2007, and that it’s just way too complicated. He says they will be going back to the basics, and simplifying the menu like it was the way before.
But here are some other problems that he forgot to mention:
#5 – Targeting Minorities – McDonald’s and other fast food restaurants are notorious for targeting low-income Blacks and Hispanics in both their marketing campaigns and their choice of locations. Sadly, both Blacks and Hispanics also tend to have the highest rates of heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, etc. Thompson needs to stop targeting minorities with such unhealthy foods full of all kinds of chemicals, GMOs, pesticides, etc.
#6 – Low Wages – McDonald’s is a highly profitable publicly-owned corporation, but they choose to pay most of their employees a minimum-wage salary with no benefits. Unfortunately, in big cities like New York, Chicago or Los Angeles, minimum wage is not enough for families to get by. Even in smaller cities, it’s just not sufficient. Thompson needs to consider compensating his workers better. Without them, there is no McDonald’s.