Panera CEO challenges McDonald’s CEO to eat Happy Meals for a week
By Craig Giammona
Ron Shaich, the outspoken leader of Panera Bread Co., is going after Happy Meals again.
The executive is renewing his crusade against kids’ food at the biggest U.S. burger restaurants — McDonald’s Corp., Burger King and Wendy’s — part of an effort to tout his own chain’s efforts to refine its menu. In his latest volley, Shaich called on McDonald’s Chief Executive Officer Steve Easterbrook to eat Happy Meals for a week.
“I’d like to see what he has to say about a week eating Chicken McNuggets, dipping them in that sauce,” Shaich said. “And he has to add fries and a sugary drink with every meal — we’ll see what his blood sugar is at the end of the week.”
Shaich has been critical of fast-food competitors for including sugary drinks and french fries with kids meals, while also using toys to market the food to children. Last year, in announcing that Panera had removed artificial ingredients from its kids menu, he knocked McDonald’s for touting that it had pulled artificial preservatives from Chicken McNuggets, a step he argues didn’t go far enough.
