1851 Weekly Recap 1-30-2015

McDonald’s CEO Steps Down The fast food giant McDonald’s announced on Wednesday that CEO Don Thompson will be stepping down later this year. This comes after sales at U.S. stores open a year stayed flat or declined for 13 months in a row until they rose just over .4 percent in December. Thompson has been with McDonald’s for nearly 25 year and has been CEO since July 2012. Steve Eastbrook, the company’s chief brand officer, will take over as president and CEO on March 1. (From The Huffington Post) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/28/mcdonalds-don-thompson-out_n_6566504.html   Football Fans Looking for Healthier Options for the Big Game A survey by sandwich chain Blimpie’s indicates that fans are looking for heathier game day fare. The survey found that 53 percent want healthier food at viewing parties, and 63 percent of respondents said they would chose healthier options over their favorite game day snacks. The survey also found that 93 percent would like to host their own parties for the Big Game. (From FastCasual.com) http://www.fastcasual.com/news/super-bowl-viewers-say-that-want-healthier-food-options/   National Frozen Yogurt Day Mark your calendars because February 6, 2015, is National Frozen Yogurt Day. National chains including Menchies and Yogurtland are sharing the sweetness by offering free frozen yogurt. Menchies will be offering a choice of 6-ounces of free fro-yo from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on February 6, 2015. Yogurtland and the Hershey Company will be starting the party early with free frozen yogurt on February 2, 2015. (From Food Beat) http://www.foodbeat.com/food-deals/celebrate-national-frozen-yogurt-day-on-menchies-yogurtland/   Papa John’s Offers Free Pizza In celebration of the Big Game this Sunday, Papa John’s Pizza will be offering customers the opportunity to enjoy a free pizza. The Louisville, Kentucky-based chain announced that fans who place a minimum order of $15 from January 29 to February 2 with the promo code: SUPERBOWL will be eligble to get a free large pizza on their next order from February 2 to February 22. (From PizzaMarketPlace.com) http://www.pizzamarketplace.com/news/papa-johns-offering-free-pizza-in-honor-of-super-bowl-sunday/   Free Coffee from Chick-fil-A all February Starting Monday morning on February 2, 2015, Chick-fil-A will be serving free coffee for the entire month. The brand will be giving away cups of the new specialty-grade THRIVE farmers hot or iced coffee all day long. (From QSR magazine) http://www.qsrmagazine.com/news/chick-fil-serves-free-premium-coffee-all-february