CHOIR (singing): Hallelujah! Come on, come on and rise. Rise above, in the glory of the Lord! In the glory of the Lord, rise.
YOLANDA TRAVIS (Owner, McDonald's, Chicago): I decided to bring Gospel music into McDonald's because it was a way of
communicating to my community. When I was a young girl, my parents used to take me to church
on Sunday, and I realized how much it soothed the soul, and so if it soothed my soul back then, I thought that it would soothe the soul of my customers and my guests that come into my restaurant every day.
The customers are constantly commenting about the Gospel music, specifically in drive-thru.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: All Gospel music makes me feel good, and in this area, it's kind of like, you always got the downs, ups and downs, and it's kind of like you grab a little inspiration. Like tonight, I'm on my way to a job site, and I kind of feel good when I pulled in, you know.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: It makes me feel safe -- safer.
Ms. TRAVIS: The restaurant has helped with bringing the crime down in this neighborhood. When McDonald's was rebuilt on this corner, the crime rate really took a different spin. My feelings about the music is that I'm a musical-type person, and everybody loves music.
