I apologize to any reader of this blog for the lack of content over the last few months but I have been doing the change of job and country thing and as any expat knows, moving is hell.

I am settled and will now be able to spend more of my time and effort into developing this blog into something that I hope will benefit franchisees everywhere.

So, I am back in the US after many years away and I have a burning question that must be answered.

What happened to Coke? It tastes different and I am not talking about old Coke / new Coke, I am talking about something fundamentally different about the taste.

Rumors abound regarding substitution of sweeteners, is this true, have the powers that be found a new way to sweeten coke and not told anyone about it.

Did they slowly change from one form of sweetener to another over several years, slowly adding more of the new stuff and less of the old stuff so no one would notice the change!!

The word “Corn” has been mentioned!!

I have tasted Coca Cola in several countries over the last decade and it all tastes the same, except for the US. Can someone please tell me what happened? Please!!

I am also hearing rumors of secret trips south of the border where real Coke is still available and of smuggling attempts gone wrong as “The Coke Police” swoop on unsuspecting travelers checking luggage and cars for “non corn Coke”

Is it also true that if you follow a Mexican around they will eventually lead you to the store in your area where the real Coke is sold, smuggled in by uncle Juan who used to run illegal aliens across the border but now just concentrates on cans of coke.

I have been following this poor Mexican family around for weeks hoping to find their stash but to no avail. They have even taken out a restraining order on me!!

Please help me!!! Or at least can someone please explain what happened and why before I do the unthinkable and buy a (yuk) Pepsi.

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Part one

I have recently come into contact with two business coaches (so called QSR consultants) who are quite well known in their market and seem to have profitable businesses with a reasonable client base.

Now let’s get one thing straight. I do not have a lot of respect for the current crop of business coaches. In my recent memory I have worked for corporations that rightly or wrongly put a lot of time, effort and money into motivational speakers and business consultants to assist them and their franchisees to grow their business, save on costs and look at the long term viability of their business.

After listening to both of these coaches talk on a range of subjects I suddenly realized that everything they said, all the tips and tricks they used, were things that most of the franchisees present already knew. Likely they had even tried these things in some form many times during their careers in the food industry. Sure they had the gift of the gab and colourful presentations that were backed up by lots of pie graphs and interesting anecdotes but… none of it was their own.

All of the information and anecdotes are easily found online or by listening to other business gurus. Now there is nothing wrong with that, I do it myself. It is impossible to gain the information and insights needed to understand a business as complicated as ours without seeking outside help. I have been in the franchise restaurant business for 30 years and still learn something new every day.

What riles me is that these business coaches pass this stuff off as their own. A new revelation, a new way of thinking about your business. Crap! The best they can claim is that they have taken the ideas that have been around since Buddha was a boy and have repackaged it to appeal to the current crop of QSR franchisors and franchisees. It appeals especially to the corporate creatures that love buzz words and have almost developed their own language to discuss the business. You know the type.

Both of these business coaches had similar backgrounds. They started off as speakers in their local church and no, they do not know each other. They have never met and live in different countries. Only one of them had limited experience as a single store franchisee for a medium sizes concept. Both see themselves as business coaches and motivational speakers. My guess is that they both wanted to use their speaking experience to build a business and good for them.

Not good enough!!

Unfortunately it is easy to set yourself up as a business coach. Everything you need is available through a variety of sources – all you need is the confidence, the speaking ability and the time.

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San Francisco may ban toys in fast food children’s meals if the levels of salt , fat or sugar is too high! Banning toys?

I’ve had enough! Now the authorities are considering banning toys in kids meals if they consider the food unhealthy. Whatever happened to responsible parenthood? At what point did it become ok for parents to hand over all of their responsibilities to restaurants, schools, government, etc, etc, etc??

Childhood obesity is a huge problem in the Western World and yes a lot of the children’s meals available today, (if eaten three times a week) will cause your kids to get fat, be bullied at school and probably be the main contributing factor in them never being able to find a mate and produce other obese kids. Maybe not a bad thing, Darwin’s theory of evolution, etc.  That’s if they don’t pass away from a heart attack prior to reaching breeding age.

Sorry….. if your kids are fat it is your fault not the food providers.  Full stop! Learn to say NO!  Make a happy meal at Micky D’s a treat  or an occasional thing, not a way to make life easier for yourself or to stop your kids from complaining.

The human body needs fat, salt and even sugar in regulated amounts. Like everything in life moderation is the key to a healthy diet and all kids need regular exercise.  I am not here to preach but I am sick and tired of governments regulating the end result rather than the cause. If they believe the average parent does not have the brains to give their kids a balanced diet along with regular exercise then take it to the classroom and teach the kids about healthy lifestyles in schools (school cafeteria comes to mind!). If the government wants to disadvantage someone then let it be the parents and not the food providers. After all aren’t the parents supposed to be responsible for their own children?

There are many other ways to get the message out. Pediatricians can play a big part by working with parents before their children have weight issues by encouraging healthy eating habits. An occasional fast food meal will not hurt anyone – parents should make up for it by including fruit, vegetables and milk in the meal choice and in other meals in the day. Parents need to take that on board. Get off the backs of the food industry! When parents do as they should they will vote with their feet and the industry will adapt to the changes accordingly.

RStevens

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