McDonald’s Corp. has named Jeff Stratton, the chain’s global chief restaurant officer, as president of its U.S. business.
At a time when the chain has acknowledged tepid demand for its products and increasing competition, Stratton, 57, will have a lot on his plate. But several who know Stratton expressed faith in his ability to lead McDonald’s USA, which is the chain’s second-largest market, behind Europe.
Stratton declined to comment.
Michael Donahue, a former chief communications officer with McDonald’s, described Stratton as a “quintessential professional, a motivator and inspirer.”
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A 40-year McDonald’s veteran, Stratton is credited with overseeing a number of critical initiatives, including the multibillion-dollar restaurant remodeling program expected to boost restaurant sales and a new point-of-sale system that has increased restaurant efficiency and speed of service.
In the U.S., Stratton’s team oversaw the redesign of the majority of the chain’s 14,000 restaurants to make room for the McCafe beverage program, which has added $1 billion in sales annually. Adding espresso-based drinks, smoothies and frappes required a multiyear effort to equip the U.S. restaurants for the program, which in some stores includes a dedicated counter.
He currently has responsibility for design, operations, training, performance, training and security for the chain’s nearly 34,000 restaurants.
Stratton began his career at McDonald’s as a teenager behind the counter in a Detroit restaurant. He held a variety of positions in the U.S. market before being named president of its West division in 2001. He was soon named chief restaurant officer for McDonald’s USA and took over the global position in 2005.
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