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Is McDonald's hinting at a branding change?

The company's chef-centered event tonight will explore 'Good Food Served Fast.'

September 26, 2013 by Alicia Kelso — Editor, QSRWeb.com

McDonald's is hosting a Chef Event tonight at Three Sixty in New York City. The event will feature three nationally recognized chefs – Chef Aaron McCargo Jr., Chef James Tahhan and Chef Dale Talde – as well as McDonald's Chef Jessica Foust.

McCargo Jr.is the winner of Season Four of The Next Food Network Star and host of "Big Daddy's House." Tahhan is a chef and TV personality in Venezuela. Talde is a sous chef at Buddakan and has appeared on Bravo's Top Chef and Top Chef All Stars.

According to the invite, this group of culinarians will create "unexpected" recipes and will transform McDonald's ingredients into a "gourmet experience."

Greg Watson, SVP of menu innovation, and Dan Coudreaut, executive chef and VP of culinary innovation, will also speak to attendees.

According to the invite, the event is being held as McDonald's redefines its convenience and value "From fast food to Good Food Served Fast.'"

Yes, Good Food Served Fast. Capitalized.

Is this a subtle sign of a rebranding effort for the brand? The timing seems ripe.

A year ago, McDonald's global sales fell for the first time in nine years. The company's U.S. president, Jan Fields, departed the company shortly thereafter. Sales this year have rebounded slightly, but not as much as some analysts/investors would like; they were up just 0.2 percent in August.

While most QSR brands are struggling to get past flat-ish sales, citing a still sluggish economy, it seems more unusual for McDonald's. As the chain with the top sales across the entire restaurant industry, it will always be a target of heavier criticism by default.

Consequently, there has been a lot of press throughout 2013 questioning whether McDonald's Golden Arches have lost a little bit of luster. Some articles have predicted that this trend will linger because of a disconnect between the brand and the vast, influential Millennial demographic.

In the QSR world, if you're accused of losing some magic, a rebranding effort kicks into gear. In some cases, there is even a complete branding overhaul. See also, Popeyes (Chicken and Biscuits to Louisiana Kitchen), Wendy's (Image Activation), Burger King (20/20, new marketing team), etc.

Earlier this week, McDonald's Chief Marketing Officer Neil Golden announced he would be retiring in early 2014. Of course, whenever a marketing head leaves, changes are going to happen.

There have already been some changes in the chain's menu pipeline after what seemed like months of relative dormancy. Breakfast now includes egg white options, as well as steak. The McCafé line finally includes a pumpkin flavor. And then there are the Mighty Wings ...

It will be interesting to see what comes next from the QSR leader, and what McDonald's will consider "Good Food Served Fast." Maybe we'll get our first peek tonight.

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