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A key element of McDonald's strategy since the beginning has been the policy of the company to own all property on which a McDonald's outlet was built, regardless of whether that location was franchised or company-owned. Rental income varies from property to property, but it has been estimated that McDonald's generates more money from its rent than from its franchise fees. McDonald's real estate holdings and rent generated from these holdings are an important component of the company's value and income. McDonald's is unique in the fast-food industry in that it owns much of its real estate. In most cases, McDonald's restaurants are located on prime high-traffic real estate that is highly visible and easily accessible. McDonald's conditions for a franchise location include a corner lot with at least 35,000 square feet of land whose entrance and exit were facilitated by a traffic light. McDonald's also earns money by marketing excess land. The company was also testing new methods for raising revenue, such as selling retail merchandise in certain stores.
In 2002 Jim Cantalupo came out of retirement to lead McDonald's turnaround back to profitability and restore the image of one the world's best known brands. The new strategy was called the McDonald's Plan to Win and focused on what the company identified as its five key drivers of success: people, products, place, price, and promotion. The first driver of exceptional customer experiences would focus on people, the employees who dealt with the customers on a daily basis. In response to a customer service ranking that rated McDonald's dead last in the fast-food industry, even lower than the ...