After losing its way early last decade, McDonald's Corp. has spent the past seven years posting financial performance almost as golden as its arches. The stock has whipped the S&P 500, market share has grown, and earnings have chugged along, despite a brutal economy.
That's all good for Don Thompson, the 47-year-old Chicago native who took over as McDonald's No. 2 and chief of operations in January. But as he looks to coax even more growth from the Oak Brook-based global burger giant, he faces plenty of ways to stumble.
McDonald's gets 36 percent of its operating earnings from Europe, where currency translation issues and a shaky economy cloud the future. Around the world, it is relying on an ambitious plan to spark broader demand in its restaurants by introducing a spate of new products and redesigning its restaurants.
Thompson, a 20-year company veteran, has kept a low public profile since moving up from his old job as president of U.S. operations. But as he stopped in South Africa last week to launch the company's global sponsorship of the FIFA World Cup, Tribune reporter Michael Oneal caught up with him by phone for a wide-ranging interview about how he plans to keep the momentum going. What follows is an edited version of the conversation.
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