Fueled by its leafy premium salads, McDonald's
The latest good news is a fitting exclamation point to CEO Jim Cantalupo's unfortunately brief tenure at the helm of the world's largest restaurant chain. While his passing last week is tragic on many different levels, he had steered the company so well that it should continue to ride the tailwind toward higher-margin premium foodstuffs and away from the ill-advised dollar menu.
When Whitney Tilson named Jim CEO of the Year in 2003, it was well-earned. The new McDonald's, like its "I'm Lovin' It" jingle, is hip, snappy, and festive these days. Yes, it was Wendy's
Along the way, McDonald's has left the discounting largely to leaner drive-thru mavens like Checkers
The company has also seen continued strength in same-store sales so far this month, and that certainly bodes well for the Golden Arches. Jim may have passed away, but McDonald's has billions to serve before it sleeps.
What do you think of the changes at your local McDonald's? Will fast food ever be healthy? Mickey D's has only tacked on 100 new locations over the past year. When will expansion pick up again? All this and more -- in the McDonald's discussion board. Only on Fool.com.
Longtime Fool contributor Rick Munarriz would like to supersize his stock buy orders. He does not own shares in any of the companies mentioned in this story.