"Eat Less Red Meat"

According to a recent report on the findings of a research team led by Rashmi Sinha, Ph.D., from the National Cancer Institute in Rockville, Maryland, (as reported by CNN - all quotes are from the CNN article):

"People who eat red meat every day have a higher risk of dying over a
10-year period -- mostly because of cardiovascular disease or cancer --than
their peers who eat less red or processed meat".

Of course, upon hearing this, any burger lover would be wise to take notice, to consider the facts of the report. Further details clear some things up:

Over a 10-year period, people who ate the most red meat every day (about
62.5 grams per 1,000 calories per day, equivalent to a quarter-pound burger or
small steak per day) had about a 30 percent greater risk of dying compared with
those who consumed the least amount of red meat (a median of 9.8 grams per 1,000 calories per day). The excess mortality was mostly the result of cardiovascular disease and cancer.

So, if we do NOT eat the equivalent of a quarter pounder EVERY DAY, and if we consume less red meat per day, or if we consume red meat only a few times per week, we're OK - is the way The McChronicles reads it (please comment if you feel this conclusion is incorrect).

The report adds:

In contrast, people who ate the most white meat seemed to have a
slightly lower mortality risk during the study than those who consumed the
least amount of white meat. White meat included chicken, turkey, and fish,
as well as some poultry products and canned tuna.

So, if we eat chicken and fish (mostly), we'll be OK - is the way The McChronicles reads this (again, please comment if ...).

In conclusion, The McChronicles LOVES hamburgers and McDoubles, but is certainly content with chicken and filet-o-fish sandwiches. In the future, we plan to mix it up to keep things in the recommended balance.

Everything in moderation!

The McChronicles: a blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.

Image: The McChronicles.

McDonald's McDouble: Part 2 (more info - slightly)

The McChronicles couldn't let it sit. Fueled by the several comments at our previous posting on The McDouble (thanks everyone!), we went to the next McDonald's down the road (New Hartford, NY: store #825) to see how they rolled out the McDouble. It wasn't expected to be a big difference since they are both owned by the same man.

Anyway, we noted that everything, including the price, was the same, the McDouble is on the dollar menu. What we DID notice was that this McDouble was wrapped in slightly different but equally mysterious paper (top image), like yesterday's McDouble from the other store (bottom image).

The McChronicles guesses that these stores just don't have the proper wrappers yet.

The McChronicles: a blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.
Images: The McChronicles.

McDonald's International Media Days 2008 (Day 3, Part 2)

This posting will wrap up The McChronicles experience at McDonald's International Media Days 2008. It was an incredibly rich 3 days of information, accessibility to people, and insight. Here is how it concluded.

After we departed McDonald's advertising agency, DDB, where we learned of the two latest corporate initiatives, we headed to the McDonald's 50th Anniversary Restaurant located at 600 N. Clark St., in Chicago. It is a pretty special restaurant on one hand as it is relatively large, super tidy, two-storied, double-drive-thru'd, McCafe'd, etc. - yet, on the other hand, it seems pretty normal with all the usual offerings, decor, etc. In other words, it was an exciting place in which to feel at home.

Our first move was to continue the official rollout of the new "1 minute to move it" (one minute to move it) campaign by joining a bunch of local elementary school children as they "moved" their minds, bodies, and souls by taking part in various activities (exercise, art, puzzles, games, challenges, etc.). Joining them was U.S. Olympic gold medal winner Shawn Johnson (who spoke at the formal announcement ceremony at DDB). She is the perfect age to get the playfulness of the kids, to be full of curiosity herself, and to also understand the ramifications of "moving it" for 1 minute. Of course, her fame is also very valuable for the program. Anyway, she was fully immersed in the activities - no "star" issues here - and certainly appeared to enjoy it all.

The McChronicles thinks these rollout events are very valuable and would like to see them continue throughout 2009 (versus ending quickly). These examples and opportunities are a very helpful method of reminding us all that it is important to enrich ourselves. The question is ... is this McDonald's JOB to pay for this? We all know that it is NICE to be reminded about these valuable activities, but who owns the responsibility?

Even if McDonald's isn't responsible, it still may be a good way to keep us all visiting them. Interesting.

Our next move was to enjoy lunch. After sampling so many new and exotic McDonald's specialties during the week, The McChronicles settled into familiar territory by ordering a double cheeseburger. After the recent double cheeseburger value meal issue, we were surprised to learn that this special McDonald's has NO dollar value meal menu - and to pay $2.15 for the sandwich. That's a lot more than the $1.00 The McChronicles pays back home.

The McChronicles: a blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.

Images: The McChronicles.

McDonald's International Media Days 2008 (Day 2, Part 3)

Day 2 of McDonald's International Media Days was FULL of interesting information and insights. In the afternoon The McChronicles was able to meet with Chef Dan Coudreaut, Corporate Chef, USA, in his test kitchen.

Dan was accompanied by several vendor partners who (along with several other vendors) share in the development, testing, and inventiveness. Chef Dan stressed that creating new McDonald's menu items is a team effort. Some of the vendors were from Cargill (oils) and Sargento (cheeses). Chef Dan also made it clear that he enjoys "the discovery process" and that he is comfortable when he, occasionally, "doesn't know what he doesn't know".

Chef Dan says he often begins with input or direction from his teammates in Marketing. After all, it is they who usually know what customers want, or which ingredients and product families contribute to profitability, sales, or optimal inventory utilization.

Chef Dan took the opportunity to demonstrate a product development process, based on the Snack Wrap platform (check out the brief video clips of Chef Dan in action). He shared a basic design system, then introduced a huge table of potential ingredients. Wow! What choices.

The McChronicles asked Chef Dan if he had any "failures" that surprised him. He said he really thought the taco + quesadilla (tacodilla) concept would resonate with people in the USA. According to Chef Dan, "I loved it, but it tanked."

That's OK, Chef Dan. You've created plenty of winners.

The McChronicles: a blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.

Images & Videos: The McChronicles.

McDonald's International Media Days 2008 (Day 2, Part 2)

Next up on Day 2 of McDonald's International Media Days 2008 was Senior Director, U.S. Restaurant Design, Max Carmona who outlined the company's Green Building Strategy. And, if you think this is just about the building, you will be surprised.

But, speaking of buildings ... did you know?:

• there are 14,000 McDonald's restaurants in the U.S.
• there are 31,000 McDonald's restaurants in the world.
• the concept of a "Green Restaurant" has been under development for years and is now already rolled out in the south side of Chicago.
• Green Restaurants are under construction in France, Brazil, and Canada.

The bottom line of Max's assignment is to create a functional and environmentally progressive facility that "satisfies both the customers' perception and the crew's satisfaction".

Max outlined critical elements of his program, grouping them into four major categories:

• water reduction
• energy reduction
• materials of construction
• social equity

Then, Max delivered The McChronicles to the actual Green Restaurant, on the corner of 42nd and Ashland on Chicago's South Side (a community known as "Back Of The Yards"). There we were met by Doug Kimball (pictured) who provided an extremely detailed tour of this living laboratory. The tour started with two drawings of the facility, a site overview and a building detail.

The site and building exterior feature innovations including: LED signage that consumes tons less energy,permeable paving that allows rainwater to soak into the water table versus swamping the public drainage system, a cistern that collects storm water used to water the native vegetation - both on the ground and on the roof, skylights, and a heat recovery system. Trust The McChronicles - there is lots more.

Doug then headed indoors where he handed The McChronicles over to John Rockwell who pointed out features such as: low-flow plumbing features saving water per flush, LED lighting and a computerized system that measures natural light and adjusts artificial lighting accordingly, multiple recycling stations, and building materials (tables, chairs, divider walls, decorations, etc.) made from recycled materials such as milk and detergent containers, ceramic floor tile made from 40% pre-consumer waste material, and decor made using low-emitting materials.

Honestly, it was difficult to take it all in on the first pass.

The McChronicles: a blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.

Images: The McChronicles.

McDonald's International Media Days 2008 (Day 2, Part 1)

The McChronicles enjoyed an excellent Day 2 of McDonald's International Media Days 2008.

This morning started out with a presentation on McDonald's Strategic Beverage Initiative. Speaking was Mr. Lee Renz, Vice President of U.S. National Beverage Strategy (top image). Mr.Lenz stated that it is McDonald's goal to become, "a beverage destination". In addition to the company's carbonated and bottled beverages, and the shakes, coffees, etc., McDonald's is moving into latte's, espressos, frappes, and smoothies. These beverages will come to us from an increasing number of McCafes.

Now, there will be two distinct McCafe strategies. "Globally" a McCafe will include beverages and food - sometimes a restaurant in a restaurant, sometimes (as does already exist in places) a stand-alone. In the USA, a McCafe will be a beverage-only affair and will only be found within a McDonald's restaurant. This is said to be because corporate research strongly indicated that U.S. customers prefer beverage products only versus a beverage and pastry offering.

Renz went on to say:

• "We are trying to develop a new brand underneath the McCafe umbrella."



• "We focus on our customers, their desires, and their behavior when they visit us."



• The goal is that, "all eligible restaurants are able to offer these products". (there are about 12,700 "eligible restaurants" in the U.S.)
  

The full rollout of the U.S. McCafe project will conclude near the end of 2010 and has already started. Renz added that McDonald's "has tons of great ideas" for the expansion of the project. It seems that this idea has a great chance of florishing beyond the current scheme

Later in the day The McChronicles sampled existing and prototype McCafe beverages. From hot chocolates, to caramel and coffee frappes, to smoothies - this product suite seems to have something for most everyone. The McChronicles does NOT like coffee, yet we found the caramel and coffee frappe very tasty - even with the distinct coffee flavor. Interesting!

The next event began when Bob Langert, Vice President, Corporate Social Responsibility (bottom image), took the stage. Bob started McDonald's Corporate Responsibility blog - a very meaningful tool for both reaching out to, and opening up to, the world. Do make the link.

Bob took this opportunity to announce the McDonald's 2008 Corporate Responsibility Report (being released later today). You can read the report using the link, so we will stick to Bob's presentation and discussion.

Bob continually emphasized "responsible food" and said, McDonald's wants to go beyond rhetoric and "bring corporate responsibility to life".

The McChronicles wants to thank Bob for taking the more difficult high road and continually making McDonald's activities more transparent while being a part of the team making McDonald's actions increasingly exemplary. For these (and other) efforts, "The Roberts Environmental Center at Claremont McKenna College has given McDonald's an A+ for the quality of our voluntary reporting on environmental and social issues. We are the only company in the food services sector to receive so high a grade."

The McChronicles' bottom line is, "Chronicling the McDonald's Brand Experience From The Customers' Point Of View", so, as customers, we really appreciate any and all efforts to make both our McDonald's dining experience, as well as our time here on Earth, a more enjoyable, responsible, and sustainable event.

More to come! Stay tuned.

The McChronicles: a blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.

Images: The McChronicles.

McDonald's International Media Days 2008 (Day 1, Part 2)

The second part of our first day of McDonald's International Media Days (see part of McDonald's International Media Days 2008) was much less formal and a lot more hands-on. And since it was getting to be about that time, The McChronicles is talking about hands on LUNCH!

Today's lunch was served in McDonald's ultra-top secret "Innovation Center". Seriously, this place has such limited access that many of ther McDonald's staff that accompanied The McChronicles into the facility expressed excitement that THEY were able to get inside. A tour of this detail, with the degree of openness that we experienced was said to be "unprecedented".

Now, while The McChronicles WAS hungry, it was still all about, "Chronicling the McDonald's Brand Experience From The Customers' Point Of View." Here's what we learned (in between bites and while touring the facility):

1. There are some very tasty new foods in the pipeline.


2. There are some very tasty foods in existence around the world that aren't in your region.


3. There are some very sophisticated processes (and equipment) in place - and being put into place - to keep our meals tasty, consistent, and safe.


4. There are some very cool ideas as to how to make our total experience faster and more accurate/rewarding.


5. There are some very dedicated professionals working hard behind the scenes to make this all happen for us.

PIPELINE:

A discussion and demonstration and video of experimental equipment led up to the cool new products that were under consideration. While we didn't get to sample any of the "concepts" The McChronicles can report that all sorts of food products are being evaluated, from vegetables, to beverages, to traditional sandwiches made in new ways.

INTERNATIONAL MENU:
The McChronicles dove into a table full of food that can only be found in McDonald's around the world. As loyal readers know, The McChronicles travels extensively, but having such a variety of meals in one room at one time was special, even for this experienced traveller. We enjoyed the (sort of) previously-reported on Shaka Shaka Chicken (it was potato in our report from 2006). This version of the Japanese Shaka Shaka concept is a real winner. The concept is to receive an already tasty piece of chicken in a semi-sealed bag, insert your personal favorite selection of spices, shake it up (shaka shaka) and enjoy it. The McChronicles tried the lemon pepper spice and LOVED it, a lot.

Another of the several awesome regional products is THE CBO. CBO, from France, stands for Chicken, Bacon, Onions. With the proper garnishment, a slice of cheese, and sauce, this sandwich is awesome.

The McChronicles' favorite was the Canadian Angus Burger. All we can say is, Wow! The garlic mayonnaise is just right and adds the perfect flair to the basic large burger. Loyal readers will recognize, by studying the 3 photos of the Angus Burger, that McDonald's is using the "McPamper" concept suggested by The McChronicles in 2005. See the three photos at the top of this post. This sandwich, and others, can be silghtly unwieldy and juicy, and the extra support from the included piece of tissue paper really helps. Thanks, McDonald's.

There were others, but these were our highlights.

PROCESSES:
Fry lovers - occasionally disappointed by fries that are: undersalted, oversalted, undercooked, overcooked, too cold, cooked in less-than-perfect oil? Sure you are. The McChronicles witnessed a new machine called the LOV Fryer (low oil volume) that uses less oil and less energy while frequently filtering the oil (keeping it cleaner), using less oil so the oil can be changed more frequently, while automatically salting the fries with the proper distribution and volume. We sampled the machine's output - best McDonald's fries we ever tasted!

BETTER EXPERIENCE:
McDonald's demonstrated some new software the allows us, the customer, to place our own order (like we do when checking in at an airpoirt, for example) from a very intuitive, simple to use touch-screen menu. It not only is easy to find what you are looking for, change it, go back in mid-order and delete things, etc., but it also presents more choices than the traditional wall-mounted menu has space for. Curmudgeons and traditionalists may not like it, but anyone under 40 has been yearning for such control (and speed) for a long time now. Yeah!

DEDICATED PROFESSIONALS:
The concept of a "McDonald's Engineer" is probably not in most of our heads, but such people do exist - and they are working hard to make our McDonald's experience better. The McChronicles had the opportunity to chat briefly with a few. Truth be told, they are almost geekily into automation, process excellence, pareto charting, focus grouping, video monitoring, and the like. Hey, we don't need them at our parties, we just appreciate the fact that they make our lunches more consistent, safer, and faster. The last photo is one we snapped while in the top secret Innovation Center. Stand down McChronicles legal counsel - we were granted permission for this long-distance shot.

That's it for today. More tomorrow.

The McChronicles: a blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.
Images: The McChronicles.

Double Cheeseburger Issue (part 3)

The McChronicles enjoyed yesterday's double cheeseburger so much that ... well ... you know.

Today The McChronicles and a friend stopped back in for more. And, we got to thinking. We wondered about the differences between what we were "sold" and what we actually received.

So, we ordered two sandwiches (Big Mac, double cheeseburger), snapped their pictures (as received), then went online to see what McDonald's are telling us they SHOULD look like (sold).

We're not going to tell you which is which.

What do you think?

Images:
McDonald's double cheeseburger, McDonald's Big Mac: McDonalds.com.
Other images: The McChronicles.

The McChronicles: a blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.

Double Cheeseburger Issue (part 2)

Fans of The McChronicles will recall vividly how The McChronicles discussed the "goings-on" related to the double cheeseburger. Here is more info.

Background:
McDonald's is reportedly experimenting with either removing the double cheeseburger from the dollar menu or cheapening it up by removing cheese, or discontinuing it. Prices (for some version of the above) are said to be ranging from $1.00 to $1.09 to $1.19.


Today:
Being in a "need to know" mode, The McChronicles drove to our home McDonald's, took a look at the menu and - BAM! There it was, double cheeseburger, $1. Just like always. Apparently, The McChronicles was not in a test zone.

LOCATION: New Hartford, NY (Route 5)
STORE #: 825
ORDER: Double cheeseburger, small fries, bottled water

Result:
The McChronicles purchased a double cheeseburger, a small order of fries, and enjoyed it - a lot.


The McChronicles: a blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.
Image: The McChronicles.

Double Cheeseburger Issue (part 1)

According to a comment posted at Netflix's MOVIE FANS site, and pointed to by a McChronicles commentor:

"you have to ask for a dbl hamburger with cheese to get the one for $1! If you ask for a dbl cheeseburger they charge you $1.19..."

Well, according to an article on consumerist.com:
"In an interview, Don Thompson, president of McDonald's U.S. business, said the company has tested ways to make the burger less expensive to make. Some restaurants are selling it with one slice of cheese instead of two, and billing it as a "double hamburger with cheese." Others are offering a double hamburger without cheese. Some are selling the traditional double cheeseburger at prices ranging from $1.09 to $1.19."

Does anyone have a definitive comment or statement on this?

The McChronicles: a blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.
Image: Nancy Luna's excellent Fast Food Maven. She covered this story months ahead of The McChronicles.