McDonald’s is pushing its CEO out of the company after he violated internal company policy by engaging in a consensual relationship with an employee.

The fast-food giant says former CEO Steve Easterbrook demonstrated poor judgment, and that McDonald’s forbids managers from having romantic relationships with direct or indirect subordinates.

In an email to employees, Easterbrook acknowledged he had a relationship with an employee and said it was a mistake. He had been CEO since 2015.

Chris Kempczinski, who recently served as president of McDonald’s U.S. operations, is the company’s new president and CEO.

In other Chicago-area business news:

A leaked internal memo shows that Cincinnati-based grocery giant Kroger is getting ready for a major brand revamp. And that could mean changes ahead for Kroger’s Chicago-area property, Mariano’s.

The memo leaked to industry publication Business Insider says Kroger’s old approaches aren’t working and the company is preparing a big announcement about a branding shakeup starting Wednesday.

Kroger operates 44 Chicago-area Mariano’s.

And finally, Woodfield Mall has decided it’s no longer going to pull an all-nighter on Black Friday.

That’s according to a new report from the Daily Herald, which notes that the Schaumburg retail center’s decision to scale back post-Thanksgiving hours is part of a growing trend in the industry. Instead, Black Friday will start an hour before sunrise this year, ending the mall’s recent run of all-night marathons to kick off the holiday season.

Crain’s Headlines is a joint production between WTTW and Crain’s Chicago Business. It airs every Monday through Thursday on the WTTW News program “Chicago Tonight.” 

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