Page 200 - Everything I Know About Business I Learned

Everything I Know About Business I Learned at McDonald’s

Protecting Reputation
Ed Rensi was right about telling your own story before the
rumor mill spins out of control. I learned this firsthand as the
regional vice president in New York in 1996 in the infamous rat-
tail incident—as bizarre and unbelievable as this story may sound.
A customer allegedly purchased for his young son a Happy
Meal and in it, the man claimed, was a fried rat’s tail. The media
ran with this story, airing it nonstop on television, radio, and
newspapers. It was everywhere!
The operator, a good licensee, was aghast at all the hype and
unwanted attention, and of course, sales immediately started to
slow at that location. We went on immediate media action, tak-
ing a proactive approach and repudiating his claim that this
could have happened in the restaurant. Citing our quality-con-
trol processes, we declared the rat-tail story impossible. Still, in
these situations, the public decides you are guilty until proven
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otherwise—and the wisecracks from the media and late-night
talk show hosts did not help at all.
But McDonald’s, back in the early years, carried the scars of
a similar experience years earlier, involving allegations that
worms were in the hamburgers. It proved to be a hoax, of
course, and initially did get some press, and Ray, in his own
style, made light of it, passing it off as humorous that anyone in
his or her right mind could believe it. It’s not likely in today’s
media-savvy environment that such a pass would be given, and
my experience certainly validated that.
On Long Island, this particular customer phoned the regional
office, demanding money for damages. We immediately alerted
the authorities, and they were very efficient in digging out the
facts. We discovered that the tail was not your everyday rat’s
tail, but rather, one that is specific to lab rats used in experi-
ments. Also, the tail in the incident was not fried in our vats, as
the oil was different than ours. The crime was obvious.