McDonald's CEO Cantalupo Dies of Heart Attack

The analyst said he doesn't expect that Bell will make any changes to McDonald's current revitalization plan. "It's the strategy that matters, what they're talking about," he said.

The most important things Bell can do are communicate with the company and make good on his revitalization-related promises. "Cantalupo was a leader, a decision maker. We have to be sure that Bell is a decision maker," Christopher said. McDonald's has said it plans to open 850 new restaurants in 2004 and close 400.

Both Sibilski and Rothbort credited Cantalupo with changing McDonald's from an expansion machine into a better-managed, fiercer competitor.

"That was tough to do because ... when you're moving in one direction, it's hard to turn in a different direction," said Sibilski. "That's how he's made his mark on McDonald's."

Among Cantalupo's achievements was implementing "the best risk management in the business, in terms of the ability to manage and maintain commodity costs and also to monitor risk of disease," Rothbort said.

Cantalupo also led McDonald's evolution as healthier eating became a priority for Americans, Rothbort said. "He has taken McDonald's from a burger and fries place to more of a casual dining experience," and in so doing, "turned Burger King into a noncompetitor," Rothbort said.