Dan Coudreaut

Dan Coudreaut (born November 8, 1965), better known to his colleagues as "Chef Dan", was the Executive Chef and Vice President of Culinary Innovation at McDonald's when he joined the restaurant chain in 2004. He left the company in 2018.

Biography
Coudreaut started his culinary career washing dishes in a local restaurant in his hometown of Ossining, New York, located an hour north of New York City, at the age of 14. In 1995, he graduated from the Culinary Institute of America (CIA). He then went to work at the Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts in Dallas, TX. In 2004 he joined McDonald's. As part of a fundraising effort for Ronald McDonald Charities he sang lead vocals for “Chef Dan and the Appetizers,” a classic rock band formed by McDonald’s employees in 2008.

Culinary career
After graduating from the CIA, Coudreaut was hired as executive sous chef at Café Pacific before moving on to become the club chef at The Four Seasons Hotel, both of which are located in Dallas, Texas. In 2000, he made the move to the world of chain restaurants, joining Metromedia Company’s Ponderosa Steakhouse and Bonanza Family Steakhouse chains as director of culinary product development. He joined McDonald’s in 2004, taking over as Executive Chef from Chef Rene Arend. As Exeuctive Chef, Coudreaut's main responsibility has been helping the creative team of chefs ideate and develop new menus for McDonald’s approximately 14,000 restaurants by testing hundreds of menu items each month. He is charged with making sure the products are on trend: bold, flavorful, and exciting.

Accomplishments
Coudreaut's accomplishments have been recognized through many honors and accolades throughout his career, including being listed among the NRN 50:R&D Culinarians by Nation’s Restaurant News in 2003. In 2006, he received that magazine’s Chef/Innovator MenuMasters Award.

Menu contributions
Coudreaut was responsible for the addition of several items to McDonald's national menu, including:
 * Asian and Southwest Chicken Salads
 * Angus and Chicken Snack Wraps
 * Angus Burger line of sandwiches
 * McCafe coffee drinks
 * Oatmeal
 * Real Fruit Smoothie beverages
 * Spicy Premium Chicken sandwich