Weekly Global News Wrap Up: Local investors are McDonald's China's only hope; Chipotle settles with over 100 E.coli victims; Starbucks struggles to revive gourmet image
Here is a summary of the most interesting QSR news stories of the week from around the world.
- McDonald’s is looking to revive its operations in China after its reputation took a beating in the region on the back of an expired meat scandal in 2014. The company is looking at the franchising model to grow in China; however, experts believe that partnering with players who understand the evolving Chinese market better might be the right way forward, according to Fortune. READ MORE HERE.
- Business Insider reveals that Starbucks will go down in history books as the brand that made it OK to charge more than $2 for a cup of coffee. But its reputation as a higher end coffee shop has faded—and that has the company worried. READ MORE HERE.
- KFC has unveiled yet another colonel, according to Fortune. This time the part is being played by Rob Riggle, the first person to take on the role who is actually a real-life colonel. Now he plays the “owner, head coach, and marketing director” of the Kentucky Buckets, a fake NFL team created by Yum Brands-owned KFC to promote the chain’s $20 Fill Ups. READ MORE HERE.
- Chipotle Mexican Grill has agreed to financial settlements with more than 100 customers who fell ill after eating at its restaurants last year, lawyers for the consumers said, as it attempts to move on from a string of food-safety problems, shares Reuters in a report. READ MORE HERE.
- Better-known for low-paid jobs than generous incentive packages, McDonald’s Corp. is facing a labor shortage so dire in Hungary that it’s offering free rooms to out-of-town burger flippers, according to Bloomberg. READ MORE HERE.
- According to Bloomberg, in what’s sure to be a college student’s dream come true, drones will soon be delivering burritos on the campus of Virginia Tech. The experimental service, to begin this month and last just a few weeks, is a test by Project Wing, a unit of Google’s parent company Alphabet Inc. Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. and the Blacksburg, Virginia, university have agreed to participate. READ MORE HERE.