McDonald's former CEO was just named in a lawsuit alleging sexual relationships with multiple employees. Here are 18 major changes he led during 4 years at the helm of the fast-food giant.

McDonald's

• McDonald's filed a lawsuit on Monday accusing former CEO Steve Easterbrook of lying about sexual relationships with multiple coworkers during his last year at the company.
• The chain fired Easterbrook in November after citing a violation of company policy "involving a recent consensual relationship with an employee."
• Easterbrook holds a position at Oxford University's Centre for Corporate Reputation.
• Easterbrook became CEO in March 2015 and was responsible for fostering major changes at the fast-food empire, including transforming McDonald's into a chain that offers more than just unhealthy food.
• From moving the company's headquarters to cutting menu items, here are 18 changes that happened at McDonald's during Easterbrook's tenure.
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McDonald's filed a lawsuit on Monday accusing its former CEO Steve Easterbrook of lying about sexual relationships with multiple coworkers during his last year at the company.

The lawsuit alleges that Easterbrook conducted and lied about sexual relationships with three employees and used his company email account to send himself "dozens of nude, partially nude, or sexually explicit photographs and videos of various women."

The chain fired Easterbrook in November after citing a violation of company policy "involving a recent consensual relationship with an employee."

A day after Easterbrook was fired, the company's stock took a hit, sinking as much as 3%.

Easterbrook holds an honorary academic position at Oxford University's Centre for Corporate Reputation. Before becoming CEO in 2015, Easterbrook served as the company's chief brand officer and as a leader of McDonald's business in the UK and northern Europe.

When Easterbrook came on as CEO in 2015, the company's same-store sales had fallen for six straight quarters in the US. He announced a turnaround plan to revive the business, which included listening to customers and quickly adapting to changing tastes.

After Easterbrook took the helm, the company cut several menu items, changed the ingredients in its US chicken recipe, and moved its corporate headquarters.

Here are 18 changes that McDonald's made while Easterbrook was CEO.

1. A massive new high-quality burger was added to the menu.

About a month after Easterbrook became CEO, McDonald's added the Sirloin Third Pounder to the menu. Patties in this limited-time burger weighed about 1.3 ounces more than the Quarter Pounder. 

The item was phased out after it failed to meet sales expectations.

2. Menu items were cut.

About a month after Easterbrook became CEO, McDonald's cut seven sandwiches from its menu to speed up order-fulfillment time. Cut items included the Deluxe Quarter Pounder burger, six chicken sandwiches, and the honey mustard and chipotle barbecue snack wraps, Bloomberg originally reported in 2015.

More recently, McDonald's has cut Signature Crafted Recipes burgers and sandwiches from the menu and slashed items from its late-night menu. Franchisees can also decide which menu items they want to include on the all-day breakfast menu. 

3. A customizable burger option was rolled out nationwide.

The Create Your Taste option was introduced to thousands of restaurants nationwide in June 2015. The option let people order toppings like guacamole and chili-lime tortilla strips via touchscreen kiosks but was replaced by a new program called "Signature Crafted Recipe" in 2016. That program was discontinued earlier this year. 

See Also:

• THEN AND NOW: How fast-food menus have changed over the years
• 33 fast-food menu items you will never be able to order again
• 10 fast-food menu changes that outraged customers