"It's making the company more profitable, " says Richard Adams, a former McDonald's Corp.

WSJ: Fast-Food Chains Selling Outlets to Franchisees

Each month 20 of the burger giant's 3, 000 U.S. franchisees now sell their rights back to the company under financial stress, says Richard Adams, head of the unofficial coalition of McDonald's franchisees, the Owner-Operator Consortium.

FORBES: Self-Employment

Andy McDonald secured 10, 201 votes - 60.5% of those cast - with Richard Elvin of the UK Independence Party in second place on 1, 990 votes.

BBC: Middlesbrough by-election: Labour's Andy McDonald wins

"The cooperative approach pioneered by the Environmental Defense Fund and McDonald's laid the foundation for an entirely new approach to solving environmental problems, " said Richard Vietor, professor of environmental management at Harvard Business School.

CNN: Unlikely allies set example for sustainable society

Others to arrive included Tony Blair's press secretary Alastair Campbell, former Labour leader Neil Kinnock, Scottish Secretary Dr John Reid, MSP Margo McDonald, Cardinal Winning, leader of the Catholic Church in Scotland, and the Bishop of Edinburgh, Richard Holloway.

BBC: A nation says goodbye