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Are other quick-service restaurant (QSR) chains able to reinvent themselves the way McDonald's has recently, or is that company a special case?

If by reinvent, you mean change the public perception of fast food being unhealthy, then the answer is yes. Most quick service operators have switched to trans-fat free oil in recent years and offer a range of salads and non-beef options. Yum! Brands' (NYSE: YUM) Taco Bell recently added its Fresco menu, which consists of nine items with less than nine grams of fat. KFC's (also a Yum! Brand) U.S. business is hurting because it didn't respond to consumers' long-running shift away from fried foods. It's now test-marketing a line of grilled sandwiches and salads and expects to launch them nationally in the first half of 2009.

But McDonald's (NYSE: MCD) has done the best job of marketing to mothers. The company has managed to defuse an avalanche of negative publicity from popular books and documentaries linking fast food with childhood obesity. It not only added healthier options to its Happy Meals, but ran an inspired PR campaign to change its image. Its "Moms Quality Correspondents" program consists of several mothers from varying backgrounds that tour behind the scenes at McDonald's and report back about their findings.

Judging by the company's recent financial results, their marketing programs to have been successful. Burger King (NYSE: BKC) has lagged behind many of its rivals on the health, children and value fronts but is moving quickly to catch up. It's switching to trans-fat free oil this year, has added a value menu, and recently new, healthier kids meals and launched a marketing campaign targeted at moms.

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