The company said Ryan, 40, will be responsible for food innovation and development, working closing with McDonald's chefs, culinary experts and menu marketing team.
McDonald's said Ryan has experience in product development at other quick-service restaurant chains. He had been a senior vice president of business development at Long John Silver's, where he was responsible for product development and operations. He also held a similar position at Pizza Hut, which is part of PepsiCo Inc.
"Tom has been a driving force in the food industry and with his proven record in product development, he is a valuable addition to our team," said Jack Greenberg, chairman of the McDonald's U.S.A. unit, said in a statement.
McDonald's, facing intense competition in the U.S. fast-food market, has faced some criticism from analysts over its product quality.
"McDonald's managment will need to continue to implement more operational and product changes over the next two years in the United States to win back customers," Everen Securities analyst Dean Haskell said recently.
Last year, McDonald's launched the Arch Deluxe hamburger and 3 other deluxe sandwiches were aimed at adult consumers. McDonald's has said the Arch Deluxe met its expectations, but analysts complained that it did not reverse a decline in U.S. same-store sales throughout 1996.
McDonald's executives have said the firm is working to improve food taste, quality and customer service. One of its initiatives is to improve its production system to prepare fresher, tastier food without slowing down service.
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