McDonald’s CEO Chis Kempczinski gave an address to the Economic Club of Chicago on Sept. 14 in which he sentimentally spoke about the long history the company has with the city of Chicago and the state of Illinois but could not ignore the challenges the current state of Chicago has given the company.
Over the course of this year, crime in Chicago has continued to flood headlines and is a primary concern for many politicians, businesses and citizens.
“There are few things more ubiquitous in America than McDonald’s restaurants,” Mike Koolidge, spokesman for the group People Who Play By the Rules PAC, said. “McDonald’s touches every demographic, every tiny town, every Metropolis. When the CEO of Mickey D’s says it’s getting really hard to operate in one particular place in this country because of the crime, Chicago, we should listen to what he has to say.”
According to the Chicago Police Department, the murder total as of Sept. 18 was 497, down 16% from 2021. Other crimes, specifically motor vehicle theft, are significantly higher. There have been 11,540 counts of motor vehicle theft to date, up 69% from last year’s 6,837.
“Everywhere I go, I’m confronted by the same questions these days – what’s going on in Chicago?” Kempczinski asked in his Economic Club address. “While it may wound our civic pride to hear it, there is a general sense out there that our city is in crisis.”
The CEO continued, “We have violent crime that’s happening in our restaurants … We’re seeing homelessness issues in our restaurants. We’re having drug overdoses that are happening in our restaurants. So we see in our restaurants, every single day, what’s happening in society at large.”
McDonald’s has a huge economic impact on Chicago, Kempczinski said.
“Two billion dollars a year is the economic contribution of having McDonald’s headquarters,” in Chicago,” he said. Kempczinski drove his point home by asking those to imagine Chicago without McDonald’s and the impact that would have on the city.
Back in August, Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced reports from the city’s crime prevention programs. “We rank third among 50 U.S. cities for violence prevention programs, services, and policies, she said. “And this, to us, is a very big deal. We are grateful for the recognition.”
