McDonald's changes drive-thru menu, global strategy

Fast-food giant McDonald's (MCD) has announced a "global turnaround" as it works to win back customer share -via a strategy that sounds more like a military campaign than a business model.

One of the more high-profile changes was reportedly (paywall) unveiled on Monday, during a webcast meeting with restaurant franchise owners. That's when McDonald's executives said they were altering their drive-thru menu in an effort to, according to the Wall Street Journal, "speed up orders and improve service."

The newspaper says the fast-food chain will also beef up its mid-price menu with items costing between $1.50 and $3.00, in an effort to bring in a wider range of customers.

Earlier this month, Steve Easterbrook, who took over as McDonald's CEO in March, laid out the company's challenges and plans.

"Our business model strength is enduring," he noted during the webcast, "but no business or brand has a divine right to succeed. And the reality is our recent performance has been poor. The numbers don't lie."

Last month, the world's largest restaurant chain reported a 33 percent drop in first-quarter revenue compared to a year earlier.

Along with pledges to improve worker salaries and introduce some benefits, the company has also announced a new global organizational structure, starting in July -- changes that Easterbrook says will help McDonald's become less bureaucratic.