Interesting Franchise Facts Reported This Week

Did you know...

... That the CEO of the largest franchise chain in the world, McDonald's, started out in one of the company's restaurants in Carpentersville, Illinois as a manager trainee? Now Jim Skinner oversees some 31,000 locations and 500,000 employees. (See CEOs' First Jobs at Forbes.com)

... That Wendy's is regarded as having the fastest drive-thru service, but Chick-fil-A takes the prize for accuracy this year? (QSR Magazine's Best in Drive-Thru Report)

... That of the 118 countries that McDonald's restaurants serves, Russia has the busiest McDonald's in the world? Owners in Russia are complaining they have "too many customers". Nonetheless, the burger chain will ration growth, focus on improving operational efficiency and raise quality. (WSJ $$)

... That in a rare moment of contrition among franchise top dogs, Ruby Tuesday's CEO, Samuel Beall, apologized publicly for losing at least five percent of its customer base since May to cheaper fast-food chains like Panera Bread Co. and casual dining competitors like Applebee's? (AP)

Editor's note: Many of these news stories have been featured in Today's News Picks, the editor's daily selection of the most interesting franchise news stories for the day from newspapers and trade journals throughout the world. It is one of the blocks on the right-hand column of Blue MauMau's front page.