Industry experts: McDonald’s turnaround will be tough
By Lauren Seegers • January 30, 2015
When Steve Easterbrook officially becomes CEO of McDonald’s Corp. on March 1, he will be presented with an opportunity: The chance to turn around the largest, most iconic restaurant brand in the world.
But it won’t be easy. Analysts, observers and those formerly with McDonald’s all say the Oak Brook, Ill.-based burger giant has a unique set of problems.
The 36,000-unit chain’s size and number of constituents make change difficult. And the company’s recent weak performance makes it more challenging for management to get franchisee buy-in for marketing and investment plans.