McDonald's
Note: Franchisees pay $45,000 initial fee except McOpCo companies (no fee), rebuild/relocate locations (prorated), and certain other exceptions. 5% royalty applies to new franchisees and sales of existing restaurants as of 1/1/2024; 4% applies to existing franchisees under certain conditions.
How McDonald's compares
Compared against the 225 food and beverage brands in our database.
Training
McDonald's operates Hamburger University and requires franchisees to complete a 6-month to 2-year Candidate Development Program covering operations, leadership, finance, and business planning. Training includes self-study, coaching, e-learning, and a culminating in-person class at HU in Chicago. McDonald's covers core training costs; franchisees pay travel and living expenses.
Territory
McDonald's does not grant exclusive territories, franchises authorize operation at one specific restaurant address only. Franchisees may face competition from other McDonald's franchisees, McOpCo outlets, and alternative distribution channels. McDonald's reserves the right to establish restaurants and sell through any channel without restriction.
Support
McDonald's provides field consultants, operations consultants, seminars, newsletters, and online resources for restaurant management and service improvements. Franchisees receive the Operations and Training Manual covering required procedures, inventory, bookkeeping, and advertising. McDonald's has in-house advertising and marketing departments developing national strategy.
Data source
Extracted from the McDonald's Franchise Disclosure Document, effective 4/15/2026 (WDFI filing #640986). FDDs are filed under the FTC Franchise Rule; Wisconsin's DFI publishes them as public records. How we extract this data.
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