The Architect
Structured and legacy-driven; builds the systems and institutions that last.
Chris Kempczinski reads as The Architect because he has methodically rebuilt McDonald's strategic framework since taking over in 2019 under difficult circumstances. His Accelerating the Arches strategy defines clear growth pillars, restructures the menu, and invests in digital infrastructure across a global franchise system.
“I mean, I think it's about as a business we have to be growing. And Ray Croc had a famous line that gets quoted around here fairly often even today, which is if you're not green and growing, you're red and rotten. And I think that philosophy is part of our business, which is we are a growth business.”
“So, I would agree. I think it's better. One of the things that we have as an advantage is because of the volumes that we do in our restaurant, our volumes tend to be higher than anybody else out there. It allows us to buy equipment that is able to be titrated or calibrated more precisely than maybe some of our competitors.”
“So you could certainly have right now a salad in a restaurant, depending on if you're a vegetarian or vegan. Vegetarian, there are going to be other offerings that you have. If you're in India, for example, we have quite a broad sample of vegetarian menu items, less so if you're in Lubbock, Texas, for example.”
“Huge issue for us. It varied around the world. Some places went into complete shutdown in the US. We were able to keep the restaurants open, but drive-through only.”
The David Rubenstein Show: “Chris Kempczinski”
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