Mirror Review
September 24, 2026
McDonald’s is reshaping its global expansion plan around restaurant productivity, artificial intelligence, franchisee support, and continued restaurant growth. On September 23, 2026, McDonald’s detailed its NEXT strategy, including approximately $8.5 billion in NEXT partnering support through 2036, with about $5 billion planned through 2030. The support combines rent relief and capital support to help franchisees modernize restaurants, deploy technology, and improve operations.
The $8.5 billion is not simply a corporate construction budget. McDonald’s is using the support to help franchisees fund modernization across the restaurant network, making franchisee economics an important part of the McDonald’s global expansion plan.
What Is McDonald’s Global Expansion Plan?
McDonald’s global expansion plan combines new restaurant development with modernization, technology investment, and higher restaurant productivity. McDonald’s NEXT is designed to generate growth while making restaurants more efficient and easier to operate. McDonald’s business strategy has four pillars: Menu, Consumer, Restaurant, and People.
McDonald’s plans approximately $8.5 billion in NEXT partnering support through 2036, including approximately $5 billion through 2030. McDonald’s will provide the support through a combination of rent relief and capital support for franchisees.
The distinctive part of the McDonald’s global expansion plan is its focus on the economics of the existing restaurant network. McDonald’s is not relying only on opening more locations to generate growth. McDonald’s is also targeting measurable productivity improvements across restaurants already in operation.
How Much Is McDonald’s Investing in Restaurant Modernization?
McDonald’s plans approximately $8.5 billion in NEXT partnering support through 2036 to accelerate restaurant modernization, technology deployment, and operational improvements. About $5 billion of that support is planned through 2030, with rent relief and capital support helping franchisees make the required investments.
McDonald’s restaurant modernization plan includes updated restaurant designs, improved kitchen layouts, delivery lockers, larger play areas, and more visible coffee preparation areas.
McDonald’s expects Restaurant NEXT to deliver about 250 basis points of gross restaurant-level efficiency gains as NEXT elements are fully deployed across the U.S. and International Operated Markets. McDonald’s estimates that the efficiency improvement could represent roughly $100,000 in annual cash-flow benefits for an average U.S. restaurant.
McDonald’s also estimates an approximately four-year payback for franchisees after partnering support. The efficiency and payback figures are management estimates and targets rather than guaranteed results.
How Is McDonald’s Using AI in Its Restaurants?
McDonald’s AI strategy will use GenAI-enabled ArchIQ at scale to support restaurant operations and the targeted efficiency improvements. ArchIQ is part of Restaurant NEXT, which focuses on simplifying operations, improving execution, and modernizing restaurant systems.
McDonald’s has been building the technology foundation for this strategy since its Accelerating the Arches strategy began in 2020. McDonald’s says the NEXT strategy builds on common technology platforms, a single enterprise data foundation, and operating systems across more than 46,000 restaurants.
McDonald’s ArchIQ extends the company’s technology strategy into restaurant operations, with McDonald’s positioning the GenAI-enabled system as part of its plan to improve execution and restaurant productivity.
How Many McDonald’s Restaurants Are There Worldwide?
McDonald’s has more than 46,000 restaurants across more than 100 countries, with approximately 95% franchised and operated by independent local business owners. McDonald’s provided those figures when it detailed the NEXT strategy on September 23, 2026.
McDonald’s reported 45,356 systemwide restaurants at the end of 2025, compared with 43,477 in 2024. McDonald’s opened 2,276 restaurants and closed 396 restaurants during 2025. Approximately 95% of the restaurants were franchised at year-end 2025.
The scale of McDonald’s restaurants worldwide makes franchisee economics an important part of the McDonald’s global expansion plan. Improvements across thousands of existing locations can affect the wider system without relying entirely on new restaurant openings.
What Are McDonald’s 2030 Growth Targets?
McDonald’s 2030 targets include approximately 250 basis points of restaurant-level efficiency gains, a low-to-mid 50% operating margin and 1.5 percentage-point market-share gains in both chicken and beverages. McDonald’s also intends to maintain its leadership position in beef.
McDonald’s expects unit expansion to contribute nearly 2.5% to systemwide sales growth in 2027, moderating to about 2% by 2030. McDonald’s also targets general and administrative expenses at about 1.9% of systemwide sales by 2030.
These targets connect McDonald’s sales strategy with the restaurant modernization plan. McDonald’s is pursuing category growth while attempting to make its restaurant network more efficient.
What Does McDonald’s Global Expansion Plan Mean for 2030?
McDonald’s global expansion plan is shifting from a model focused mainly on adding restaurants toward a model that combines restaurant growth with franchisee economics, AI, and measurable productivity. The NEXT strategy gives McDonald’s franchisees financial support while setting specific efficiency and growth targets.
McDonald’s previously targeted 50,000 restaurants globally by the end of 2027, following more than 40,000 restaurants in 2023.
A key measure for the McDonald’s global expansion plan will be whether NEXT converts modernization and technology investment into stronger restaurant economics and sustainable customer growth. McDonald’s $8.5 billion support commitment makes franchisee performance a central part of that equation, placing productivity alongside restaurant expansion as a key measure of the strategy through 2030 and beyond.
Gurushanth S Jatti
