McDonald's · 2025 report · 12 min
Running one McDonald's
You've seen McDonald's from the head office. Now take the owner's chair: what it takes to buy one, what a year of sales pays for, and what's left for you.
Ticket 01 · The guess
How much does one restaurant sell?
Words to know
Sources and every number (3)
Sources
- McDonald's Corporation annual report (Form 10-K), fiscal 2025 · McDonald's Corporation, filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, 2025
- McDonald's fourth quarter and full year 2025 supplemental information (Exhibit 99.2 to Form 8-K, February 11, 2026) · McDonald's Corporation (filed with the U.S. SEC), 2025
- McDonald's advances NEXT strategy to become first choice for more customers, more often (Exhibit 99.1 to Form 8-K, September 23, 2026) · McDonald's Corporation (filed with the U.S. SEC), 2026
Every number
- $3.98M
sec.gov ·2025 · Worked out from the 10-K and its supplement for the fourth quarter of 2025: US franchised sales ÷ US restaurants run by franchisees at the end of 2025 (a rough average; restaurants that opened during the year count as whole). - $51.9B
sec.gov ·2025 · Franchised sales in the US, 2025. - 13,062
sec.gov ·2025 · US restaurants run by franchisees (conventional franchised) at the end of 2025. - 2.5%
sec.gov ·2026 · Restaurant-level efficiency McDonald's plans to unlock under its NEXT plan (September 2026): about this many points of sales, gross. - $100,000
sec.gov ·2026 · What those efficiency gains are worth a year to the average US restaurant, in McDonald's own estimate (September 2026).