And in Hospital Lobby, McDonald's Fights BackPosted on 12/15/2004 4:38:13 PM PST by crushelits
CLEVELAND -- The Pizza Hut is shuttered, its neon sign collecting dust on the floor. But knocking down the Golden Arches has proved far more difficult for Toby Cosgrove, the new head of the Cleveland Clinic.
A heart surgeon who has cleaned out a career's worth of clogged arteries, Cosgrove didn't think Big Macs, supersize fries and inch-thick, six-cheese pizzas belonged in the lobby of a hospital renowned for its cardiac care. So he decreed the fast-food joints had to go.
Pizza Hut went quietly. But McDonald's, halfway through a 20-year lease, has refused to shut down a franchise that serves 12,000 doctors, nurses, janitors, secretaries, patients and visitors each week.
"Our menu is something we're all proud of," said Marty Ranft, a McDonald's vice president. "We've got a great relationship with the Cleveland Clinic. We are not interested in closing" the restaurant.
In the struggle against obesity, Americans are losing. And among the favorite targets for blame are fast-food chains such as McDonald's. Studies show that consuming large portions of high-fat, salty, sugar-laden foods has helped create a nation in which 64 percent of people are overweight or obese. They often land here at the Cleveland Clinic seeking treatment for diabetes, strokes, heart failure and crippling joint pain.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Toby Cosgrove, I'd like to introduce you to Contract Law, and then invite you to a STFU party.
Yes, we must be protected from ourselves. We are not smart enough to judge for ourselves what we ought to do. Thanks, Doc!
What was this guy thinking? Seems like this would have been great for his business.
Grinch! Children's Hospital in LA has a MacDonald's right in the middle of the lobby. You think those little kids with cancer, in the middle of chemo, care about clogged arteries? I don't think so.
Yeah, my dad's heart doctor called it "yacht chow"...
Every Big Mac added another foot to his sailboat!
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