Restaurants

Forget about smoking in a restaurant. Transfat avoidance; calorie counts on menu boards; size, amount and synthetic content of take-away food and beverage containers; price paid for tomatoes. It’s an election year, so politicians of every stripe and at every level of government are insinuating themselves into the restaurant business, using as excuses whatever they think will resonate with the electorate: health issues, the environment, migrant workers, etc.

Being the largest of the restaurant Power Players, McDonald’s can rarely avoid such activism, and it is using TV commercials, other advertising and the corporate website to rebut some of the more egregious and fanciful allegations. “We’re engaging in a conversation with our guests because we feel it’s important for them to know the truth about our food,” says Molly Starmann, head of domestic marketing for McDonald’s.

To convey the message that it sells quality food that is safe to eat and counter accusations in works such as “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” by Michael Pollan, McDonald’s provides quality assurances and detailed information, lists of ingredients with allergen information and product-specific food exchange amounts for use in diabetes- and weight-control diets. The company also created a series of TV commercials employing a documentary-style approach articulating food quality concerns and safety issues from farmers straight on through the supply chain.

Yum! Brands, operator of KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, is one to watch, particularly as it turns itself into an international juggernaut, with roughly half of its operations and profits coming from outside the United States. But all eyes seem focused on Starbucks to see if Howard Shultz can give the coffee giant a jolt of renewed growth.