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McDonald’s Corp. is a company that has long encouraged its employees to build a career with the quick-serve restaurant chain, and John Betts has lived that example. The president of McDonald’s Canada began his career as a crew person at a McDonald’s restaurant in Southampton, N.Y., in 1970 and has been climbing the ranks ever since. Named president of the Canadian division in 2008, he has overseen a dramatic makeover at the chain from an old-style fast-food emporium to a more modern bistro style restaurant with stone accents, flat-screen TVs and fireplaces. He spoke with Hollie Shaw in Toronto about the success of McCafé and adding fruit smoothies to the mix. Following is an edited transcript of their conversation.

QHow important was the growth of brewed coffee as a strategy for McDonald’s Canada?

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A It was in many ways the glue that brought our system together. It allowed us to create a connection with the customers that we had not been able to do for a number of years. The coffee effort created the credibility that allowed us to turn around and build McCafé and be extremely successful with that. Our overall beverage category is up more than 40% over the last three years from the beginning of the coffee program. Brewed coffee sales more than doubled over that period in time. When you change someone’s coffee habit, you have got them. They have a connection with you and you have become a part of their habit. After each [free coffee event], we had new people who would stay with McDonald’s or frequent us more often and that would layer on top of our business. It also created a lot of collaboration with our owners. It made the owners feel more confident about the business in a big way, to take more risks with things like [the remodelling program].

QDid your growth meet projections?