McDonald's facts for kids
Golden Arches logo used since 2006
|
|
.jpg)
|
|
| Public | |
| Traded as | |
| ISIN | ISIN: [https://isin.toolforge.org/?language=en&isin=US5801351017 US5801351017] |
| Industry | Fast food restaurants, real estate |
| Founded | May 15, 1940, in San Bernardino, California, United States
April 15, 1955 (McDonald's Corporation) |
| Founders | Richard & Maurice McDonald (original restaurant chain) Ray Kroc (McDonald's Corporation) |
| Headquarters | , |
|
Number of locations
|
 41,822 restaurants (2023) |
|
Area served
|
Worldwide (119+ countries) |
|
Key people
|
|
| Products |
|
| Revenue | US$25.49 billion (2023) |
|
Operating income
|
US$11.65 billion (2023) |
| US$8.469 billion (2023) |
|
| Total assets | US$56.15 billion (2023) |
| Total equity | ▲ −US$4.71 billion (2023) |
|
Number of employees
|
c. 150,000 (2023) |
McDonald's is a huge American fast food company. It is one of the biggest restaurant chains in the world. In 2024, it was the second largest by the number of locations.
Brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald started McDonald's in San Bernardino, California, in 1940. It began as a simple hamburger stand. They soon started letting other people open McDonald's restaurants, which is called franchising. The famous Golden Arches logo appeared in 1953. In 1955, a businessman named Ray Kroc joined the company. He later bought it in 1961. Since then, McDonald's has grown all over the world. Today, there are over 40,000 McDonald's restaurants. About a quarter of them are in the United States.
McDonald's makes money from selling food. It also earns money by owning many of its restaurant buildings and the land they are on. They then lease these to the people who run the franchises. In 2018, McDonald's was the world's second-largest private employer. It had 1.7 million employees, mostly in its franchised restaurants.
Some of McDonald's most popular items are their French fries and Big Mac hamburgers. They also sell cheeseburgers, chicken, fish, fruit, and salads.
Contents
The Story of McDonald's
McDonald's has a long and interesting history.
How McDonald's Started
Richard and Maurice McDonald wanted to make a lot of money before they turned 50. They opened their first McDonald's restaurant on May 15, 1940. It was in San Bernardino, California.
Speedee Service System
In 1948, the McDonald brothers created the "Speedee Service System." This system made fast food restaurants work much faster. They stopped using carhops and switched to paper wrappers and cups. This meant they didn't need dishwashers anymore. They also made their menu much simpler. It had only nine items, like hamburgers, cheeseburgers, drinks, and fries. Richard McDonald said their idea was all about "speed, lower prices, and volume."
Mascots
The first mascot for McDonald's was a chef with a hamburger for a head. His name was "Speedee." In 1962, the Golden Arches became the main symbol for McDonald's. The clown mascot Ronald McDonald was introduced in 1963. He helped market the restaurants to children.
Ray Kroc's Role
.svg){kind=logo}
.svg){kind=logo}
The McDonald's company we know today credits its start to Ray Kroc. He was a businessman who joined McDonald's as a franchise agent on April 15, 1955. This was the ninth McDonald's restaurant ever opened.
Ray Kroc was a very determined business partner. In 1961, he bought the McDonald brothers' share of the company. This allowed him to start expanding McDonald's all over the world. The sale cost Kroc $2.7 million. The original San Bernardino restaurant was later taken down in 1971. Today, the site has a McDonald's and Route 66 museum. As McDonald's grew internationally, it became a symbol of how American culture spreads globally.
Modern Changes
In 1994, McDonald's stopped allowing smoking in its company-owned restaurants.
In 2006, McDonald's updated its look with a "Forever Young" theme. Restaurants were redesigned to look more like cafes. They used colors like terracotta, grey, and olive, with wooden furniture. This new look was described as "personable, friendly, and inviting."
During the COVID-19 pandemic, McDonald's closed most of its indoor seating and play areas in the United States. They focused on drive-through, curbside orders, and delivery services.
McDonald's Products
McDonald's offers a wide variety of food items.
Menu Items
McDonald's mainly sells hamburgers, different kinds of chicken, chicken sandwiches, French fries, soft drinks, shakes, breakfast foods, and desserts. In many countries, McDonald's also has salads and vegetarian options. They also offer wraps and other local foods. Sometimes, McDonald's brings back special items for a short time, like the McRib sandwich. In March, they offer a Shamrock Shake for Saint Patrick's Day.
Some items are only available in certain regions. For example, the Hatch Green Chile Double Cheeseburger is only sold in New Mexico.
In 2021, the company removed some cheaper items from its menu. They wanted to focus more on items that cost a bit more.
McValue Meal Deal
The McValue Meal was created in 2024. It includes four items and costs $5. This meal was made to be an affordable option on the McValue menu.
Healthier Options
When Steve Easterbrook became CEO in 2015, McDonald's made its menu simpler. They also started offering healthier choices. For example, they removed high-fructose corn syrup from hamburger buns in the United States. They also took out artificial preservatives from Chicken McNuggets.
In September 2018, McDonald's USA announced that seven of its classic burgers no longer used artificial preservatives, flavors, or colors. These included the hamburger, cheeseburger, and Big Mac. However, the pickles still have an artificial preservative, but customers can ask for no pickles.
McPlant
In November 2020, McDonald's announced the McPlant. This is a burger made from plants. They also planned to create other plant-based options, like chicken substitutes and breakfast sandwiches. This came after successful tests with Beyond Meat plant-based products.
In late 2022, McDonald's added the Double McPlant to all its restaurants in the United Kingdom and Ireland. This was because the original McPlant was very popular. In 2024, some McDonald's in the UK tested vegan ice cream called Choco Scoop and Strawberry Scoop.
International Menu Choices
McDonald's changes its menu to fit what people in different countries like to eat. Restaurants in Asia often serve soup. This is a common way the chain adapts its menu. They do this to follow local food taboos, like not eating beef in India. They also offer foods that are popular locally, such as McRice in Indonesia or Ebi (prawn) Burger in Singapore and Japan. McDonald's in China offers fried buns and soybean milk for breakfast.
In India, McDonald's started using millet-based buns on September 4, 2024. These buns use different types of millet, making up 22% of the bun. They offer more calcium, iron, and protein.
Europe and New Zealand
In France, McDonald's is often called McDo. They sell macaroons, Croque McDos, croissants, pain au chocolat, and even beer. McDonald's in Germany and some other European countries also sell beer. In Greece, the Big Mac is changed by adding Tzatziki sauce and serving it in a pita.
In New Zealand, McDonald's sold meat pies until 2020. This was after they bought the local fast food chain Georgie Pie in 1996.
North America
In the United States and Canada, McDonald's started offering a partial breakfast menu all day long. This began in 2015 in the U.S. and 2017 in Canada. However, all-day breakfast was stopped at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
Different Kinds of McDonald's Restaurants
In the United States, most McDonald's restaurants have both counter service and drive-through service. They also have indoor and sometimes outdoor seating.
In 1994, McDonald's tried a new idea called Hearth Express. This was a restaurant that focused on takeout meals that tasted like home cooking. It offered items like meatloaf and fried chicken. This experiment only lasted one year.
McDrive
The drive-through, also known as Auto-Mac, Pay and Drive, or "McDrive" in many countries, lets customers order and pick up food from their car. It first started in Sierra Vista, Arizona, in 1975. The first McDrive in Britain opened in 1986. Some McDrive locations near highways only have drive-through service and no indoor seating. In busy city areas, some locations might not have a drive-through at all. There are also "Walk-Thru" services in some downtown areas.
McCafé
McCafé is a café inside McDonald's restaurants. The idea started in Melbourne, Australia, in 1993. In 2023, McDonald's stopped selling three of its bakery items: the apple fritter, blueberry muffin, and cinnamon roll.
McDonald's Next
McDonald's Next stores have an open design and let customers order digitally using "Create Your Taste." These stores also offer free phone charging and table service after 6:00 pm. The first one opened in Hong Kong in December 2015. These buildings use natural colors like concrete and oak.
PlayPlaces
McDonald's playgrounds used to be called Playlands and were outside. Because of safety concerns, McDonald's moved them inside. They also started making them from softer materials like plastic instead of metal. They were renamed PlayPlaces in 1987.
McExpress and McStop
Some McDonald's locations are connected to gas stations and convenience stores. Others, called McExpress, have limited seating or menu options. They might be found in shopping malls or inside Walmart stores. McStop locations are designed for truckers and travelers. They offer services similar to truck stops.
CosMc's
In July 2023, McDonald's announced a new fast-food brand called CosMc's. They planned to test it at 10 locations. The first one opened in December 2023 in Bolingbrook, Illinois. These smaller restaurants focused on selling coffee and other drinks in the afternoon.
The name CosMc's came from a McDonaldland mascot from the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Four more locations opened in Texas. However, in May 2025, McDonald's announced that all CosMc's locations would close by the end of June 2025. Some of CosMc's drink flavors will be tested in other U.S. McDonald's restaurants.
McDonald's Company Information
Facts and Figures
McDonald's restaurants are in 120 countries and serve 68 million customers every day. As of 2023, there are 41,800 McDonald's locations.
McDonald's started offering delivery in 2017 with Uber Eats. They added DoorDash in 2019. By 2019, delivery made up about 3% of their total business.
In 2019, McDonald's company-owned and franchised restaurants made $100 billion in sales. This was almost 4% of the entire global restaurant industry.
Other Businesses
McDonald's has sold off other restaurant chains it owned. It owned most of Chipotle Mexican Grill until 2006. It also owned Donatos Pizza until 2003 and a small part of Aroma Café. In 2007, McDonald's sold Boston Market.
McDonald's has increased the money it pays to its shareholders for 25 years in a row. This makes it a "Dividend Aristocrat" on the S&P 500. The company is ranked 131st on the Fortune'' 500 list of largest U.S. companies by revenue.
Financial Information
In the United States, drive-throughs make up 70% of McDonald's sales. In 2015, McDonald's closed 184 restaurants in the U.S. This was the first time McDonald's had fewer locations in the U.S. since 1970.
In the first three months of 2025, McDonald's revenue in the U.S. dropped by 3.6%. This was the biggest sales decline in the U.S. since the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
How McDonald's Works
Ownership
McDonald's owns the land for many of its restaurants. This land is worth about $42 billion. The company makes a lot of money from rent payments from its franchisees. These rent payments grew by 26% between 2010 and 2015. By the end of that time, they made up one-fifth of the company's total income.
McDonald's trains its franchisees and managers at special schools called Hamburger Universities. As of 2015, these universities are in places like Oak Brook, Illinois, Tokyo, London, and Sydney.
In other countries, McDonald's restaurants are often run by joint ventures. This means McDonald's Corporation works with local companies or governments.
Employees
According to a book called Fast Food Nation, almost one out of every eight workers in the U.S. has worked at McDonald's at some point. McDonald's encourages its employees to stay healthy. They suggest singing to relieve stress and taking two vacations a year.
Fast Food Nation also says that McDonald's is the biggest private owner of playgrounds in the U.S. It is also the largest buyer of beef, pork, potatoes, and apples. The types of meat McDonald's uses can change based on the culture of the country.
Headquarters
On June 13, 2016, McDonald's announced it would move its main office to Chicago's West Loop neighborhood. The new 608,000-square-foot building opened on June 4, 2018. It was built where Harpo Productions used to be.
McDonald's old headquarters, McDonald's Plaza, was in Oak Brook, Illinois. McDonald's moved there from an office in Chicago Loop in 1971.
Board of Directors
As of December 2024, the board of directors included:
- Chris Kempczinski; chairman and CEO of McDonald's
- Anthony G. Capuano, CEO of Marriott International
- Kareem Daniel, former chairman of Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution
- Lloyd H. Dean, president and CEO of Dignity Health
- Catherine M. Engelbert, commissioner of the Women's National Basketball Association
- Margo Georgiadis, former CEO of Ancestry.com
- Mike Hsu, chairman and CEO of Kimberly-Clark
- John J. Mulligan, executive vice president and COO of Target Corporation
- Jennifer L. Taubert, Executive Vice President and Worldwide Chairman, Innovative Medicine, Johnson & Johnson
- Paul S. Walsh, executive chairman of McLaren Group
- Amy E. Weaver, President and Chief Financial Officer of Salesforce
- Miles D. White, chairman and CEO of Abbott Laboratories
Steve Easterbrook was the CEO and president of McDonald's from 2015 to 2019. He was replaced by Chris Kempczinski, who was the president of McDonald's USA.
In August 2022, McDonald's announced some changes to its board. Sheila Penrose retired, and Anthony Capuano, Jennifer Taubert, and Amy Weaver joined the board.
Company Ownership
| Shareholder name | Percentage |
|---|---|
| The Vanguard Group | 9.85% |
| BlackRock | 7.35% |
| State Street Corporation | 4.83% |
| JP Morgan Chase | 5.25% |
| Geode Capital Management | 2.31% |
| Bank of America | 2.08% |
| Morgan Stanley | 2.46% |
| Wellington Management Company | 1.66% |
| Norges Bank (December 31, 2024) | 1.31% |
| Others | 66.17% |
Global Reach
.svg)
.jpg)
International Impact
McDonald's has become a symbol of globalization. This is sometimes called the "McDonaldization" of society. The Economist newspaper uses the "Big Mac Index" to compare how much a Big Mac costs in different countries. This helps to informally compare how much money is worth in different places. As of July 2015, Switzerland had the most expensive Big Mac. India had the least expensive (though it was a Maharaja Mac, a different burger). The next cheapest Big Mac was in Hong Kong.
The northernmost McDonald's restaurant in the world is in Tromsø, Norway, as of January 2024. The southernmost is in Invercargill, New Zealand.
Some people say that McDonald's has improved service standards in the places it opens. For example, when McDonald's opened in Hong Kong in 1975, it was one of the first restaurants to always have clean restrooms. This made customers expect the same from other places. McDonald's has also partnered with Sinopec, a large oil company in China. They are opening many drive-through restaurants as more people in China use cars.
Global Activities
In Beijing, China, McDonald's restaurants are run by state-owned companies through franchise agreements.
McDonald's has a restaurant and McCafé inside The Louvre, a famous art museum in France.
The company opened vegetarian-only restaurants in India. The first one opened in 2012 in Amritsar, India.
On January 9, 2017, 80% of the franchise rights in mainland China and Hong Kong were sold for over $2 billion. This was to a group of companies including CITIC Limited and Carlyle.
On the river Elbe in Hamburg, Germany, there is the world's only "McBoat." This is a float-through service for people on the river, like a drive-through for boats.
In Sweden, Happy Meal boxes can be turned into goggles to play a game called Slope Stars. In the Netherlands, McDonald's introduced McTrax. These are trays that can be used as a recording studio. You can create music with them.
In March 2022, McDonald's closed and sold its 850 locations in Russia. This was due to the invasion of Ukraine. About nine percent of McDonald's global income came from Russia and Ukraine. The restaurants were sold to a Russian buyer. The new stores were rebranded as Vkusno i tochka and started reopening in June. Later in 2022, the 25 McDonald's restaurants in Belarus also rebranded as Vkusno i tochka. Operations were also stopped in Kazakhstan due to problems getting meat from Russia. They rebranded the next year.
During the Gaza war, some McDonald's branches in Muslim countries faced boycotts. This happened after McDonald's branches in Israel provided free meals to the Israel Defense Forces. McDonald's in some countries said they were separate from the actions of McDonald's Israel. As a result, McDonald's bought all 225 Israeli franchise-owned restaurants.
McDonald's and Technology
Since the late 1990s, McDonald's has tried to use electronic kiosks instead of human employees. These kiosks can take orders and accept money. In 1999, McDonald's first tested "E-Clerks" in Illinois and Michigan. These machines could save money and led to customers buying more.
In 2013, the University of Oxford thought that food preparation in fast food places might become 92% automated in the future. By 2016, McDonald's "Create Your Taste" electronic kiosks were in some restaurants around the world. Customers could use them to make custom orders.
In 2017, McDonald's launched an app in the United States. This app lets customers order online and skip the line inside or at the drive-through. Many McDonald's locations have special parking spots for these orders.
In September 2019, McDonald's bought a company called Apprente. This company uses artificial intelligence (AI) to replace human servers with voice technology in drive-throughs in the U.S.
In early 2023, McDonald's opened its first mostly automated restaurant in Fort Worth, Texas. This restaurant focused on less human contact when ordering. Employees were there if needed, but the ordering process was mostly automated. This restaurant did not have any seating.
Marketing and Advertising
McDonald's has had many advertising campaigns for decades. They use TV, radio, newspapers, billboards, and signs. They also sponsor sports events, from Little League to the FIFA World Cup and Olympic Games. TV has been very important for their advertising. McDonald's has used 23 different slogans in the United States.
Advertising for Kids
McDonald's uses playgrounds, games, and toys to make children want to visit McDonald's.
Famous People in Ads
Sports Stars
In 1992, basketball player Michael Jordan was the first famous person to have a McDonald's meal named after him. The "McJordan" was only available in Chicago. This made fans in other areas want it even more.
LeBron James was a spokesperson for McDonald's from 2003 to 2017.
In January 2025, WNBA player Angel Reese became the first woman to partner with McDonald's. She created the Angel Reese Special meal. Ordering it as a double Quarter Pounder was a nod to Reese's many "double-doubles" in games.
McDonald's is the main sponsor of the McDonald's All-American Game. This game helps attract fans, college coaches, and NBA decision-makers.
Music Stars
In September 2020, McDonald's worked with rapper Travis Scott to release the "Travis Scott Meal." Scott also designed new uniforms for McDonald's employees. The company then partnered with reggaeton singer J Balvin for the "J Balvin Meal."
In 2021, McDonald's partnered with the Korean boy group BTS to release the "BTS Meal" in 50 countries. It started on May 26 in some countries.
Space Exploration
McDonald's and NASA once talked about an advertising deal for a mission to an asteroid. However, the spacecraft mission was later canceled.
Sponsorship in NASCAR
.jpg)
_(cropped).jpg)
McDonald's started sponsoring cars in the NASCAR Cup Series in 1977. They sponsored Richard Childress for one race. From 1977 to 1986, McDonald's only sponsored a few races each season. In 1993, McDonald's became a full-time sponsor for the No. 27 Junior Johnson & Associates Ford. This car was driven by Hut Stricklin. In 1994, Jimmy Spencer drove the car and won two races that season. McDonald's then moved to sponsor Bill Elliott's car until 2001.
McDonald's later joined Chip Ganassi Racing in 2010. They sponsored the No. 1 Chevrolet driven by Jamie McMurray until 2019. McDonald's then sponsored Kyle Larson's No. 42 car. They also partnered with Bubba Wallace's new team, 23XI Racing, as a "founding partner."
Charity Work
McHappy Day is an event McDonald's holds every year. On this day, a part of the sales goes to charity. It is the main fundraising event for Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC). In 2009, McHappy Day in Australia raised $20.4 million.
Ronald McDonald House Charities is a global group with over 260 Chapters. It helps families get medical care for their children. It also offers support services in more than 60 countries. In 2022, over $182 million was donated to Ronald McDonald House Charities by McDonald's, its franchisees, and customers.
In 1995, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital received a letter with a $1 million winning McDonald's Monopoly game piece. McDonald's confirmed it was a real winner.
Future Plans
McDonald's has many plans for the future. They want to grow, use more digital technology, and reduce their carbon footprint.
McDonald's plans to add 900 new restaurants in the U.S. by 2027. Globally, they want to have more than 10,000 new restaurants by 2027, reaching a total of 50,000 worldwide.
McDonald's has promised to stop deforestation in its global supply chain by 2030 for beef and other products. The company also aims for net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. "Digitizing the Arches" is a new plan for McDonald's. They are working with Google to use artificial intelligence and Google Cloud technology to automate restaurants. They also plan to grow their loyalty program from 150 million to 250 million active users by 2027. McDonald's also wants 30% of its deliveries to come from its own app by 2027.
Images for kids
-
The famous Golden Arches logo.
-
McDonald's Headquarters in Chicago, Illinois.
-
The oldest operating McDonald's restaurant in Downey, California.
-
McDonald's logo from 1940 to 1948.
-
McDonald's logo from 1948 to 1953.
-
McDonald's logo from 1953 to 1960.
-
Corporate logo used from 1960 to 1968.
-
Corporate logo used from 1968 to 2003.
-
Corporate logo used from 1993 to 2010.
-
Corporate logo on a red background with the wordmark.
-
A sign showing over 100 billion hamburgers sold by 1993.
-
French fries, a soft drink, and a McSpicy Chicken Fillet.
-
A Croque McDo from France.
-
McDonald's in Freeport, Maine, kept the original house exterior.
-
A McDonald's with a PlayPlace in Panorama City, California.
-
Map showing countries with McDonald's restaurants.
-
A McDonald's restaurant in an Art Nouveau building in Subotica, Serbia.
-
The McDonald's-sponsored car of Jamie McMurray in 2016.
-
Bubba Wallace in a McDonald's-sponsored racing suit in 2022.
-
A Ronald McDonald House collection box in Framingham, Massachusetts.
See also
In Spanish: McDonald's para niños
