Jim Cantalupo Born : November 14, 1943Died : April 19, 2004 Browse All Authors Quotes From Jim Cantalupo You have got to have discipline and focus - on the customer and how you run the business. Jim Cantalupo disciplinefocusrunning Some of the analysts were saying, Now you're a cash cow, there's no growth at all, pay it all out in dividends, give me it all, you can't invest wisely. Jim Cantalupo cashgrowthgiving We cover hamburgers, chicken, veggie burgers, salads, we've got a pretty broad range. To me, McDonald's isn't only about the food. It's about the prices, it's about the way we eat. Jim Cantalupo saladburgersmcdonalds McDonald's is almost 50 years old. For 47 years we had a pretty consistent track record of being able to deliver admirable sales. Jim Cantalupo mcdonaldstrackyears So Europe's a big driver. And at one point, if the euro hadn't devalued, they would have been making as much money as the US with half the stores. Returns were higher. Jim Cantalupo returnhalfeurope Salads was a big indicator of that - there was a huge market out there for it. And why not tap it? Some of the things we are doing now around the globe are responding to customers. It's not because some guy sued you. Jim Cantalupo saladwhy-notguy Playtime and toys are good for kids, or they wouldn't buy them. McDonald's can provide that experience. And having dinner with the family is good for kids. Jim Cantalupo dinnermcdonaldskids I think we have a great track record on being relevant, on identifying consumer trends, needs and wants. Jim Cantalupo trackneedsthinking I think this year we'll open up 900 gross, we're closing some, so the net count is lower, but the 900 are spread all over the place. Some of the closures are relocations, where you're moving it to another place in the marketplace. Jim Cantalupo yearsmovingthinking I talked about 12 to 18 months, and that's about reaffirming our foundation for sustained growth: getting the discipline back, getting the basics right, getting the customer focus back... so by the end of next year, I hope most of that's in place. Jim Cantalupo disciplinefocusyears But, on balance, we seized the marketplace. We've got a great infrastructure. And yes it's struggling in some areas because of some external factors and some internal factors. Jim Cantalupo infrastructurebalancestruggle But we had a pretty diversified portfolio of businesses around the world and things tended to offset each other. But one or two years ago, we had a lot of things happening at the same time. Jim Cantalupo twoworldyears I think we'll still be a family restaurant, we'll be contemporary, we'll be lifestyle, we won't be old, we won't be 60 years old in the view of the consumer. Jim Cantalupo viewsyearsthinking But you know the second month I was here I put out a healthy lifestyles directive. The pundits will say it was because we were sued. Well that's what they say. It was never about that. Jim Cantalupo lifestylehealthymonths As I said, I haven't spent a lot of time thinking about partner brands. Jim Cantalupo partnerssaidthinking And so if your competitors aren't growing, if there isn't a competitive reason to grow, and you want focus and discipline to add customers to existing stores, you adjust your strategy. Jim Cantalupo growingdisciplinefocus When you raise prices, you've got to make sure you get it to the bottom line. You can fritter it away because of the way you're running the business, with maybe not a totally disciplined approach. Jim Cantalupo linesrunningway And ours is a business that requires discipline and focus. Jim Cantalupo oursdisciplinefocusbusiness Because we only feed in the United States less than 1 per cent of the meals, most of them are eaten elsewhere. Most meals are eaten at home. So to make McDonald's the target is not going to solve the problem. Jim Cantalupo mcdonaldtargetproblemhome But I tell you, I would really be interested if there was a partner we could take in, that could put them over here on the side, that would allow us full leverage and access down the road. Jim Cantalupo partnerroaddownyou
