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McDonald's

"McD" redirects here. For other uses, see MCD (disambiguation) and McDonald (disambiguation).
For technical reasons, "McDonald's #1 Store Museum" redirects here. For the museum, see McDonald's No. 1 Store Museum.

McDonald's Corporation
Company typePublic
ISINUS5801351017
IndustryFast food restaurants, real estate
FoundedMay 15, 1940 (1940-05-15), in San Bernardino, California, United States
April 15, 1955 (1955-04-15)
(McDonald's Corporation)
FoundersRichard & Maurice McDonald
(original restaurant chain)
Ray Kroc
(McDonald's Corporation)
Headquarters
Chicago, Illinois
,
United States
Number of locations
Increase 41,822 restaurants (2023)
Area served
Worldwide (119+ countries)
Key people
Products
RevenueIncrease US$25.49 billion (2023)
Increase US$11.65 billion (2023)
Increase US$8.469 billion (2023)
Total assetsIncrease US$56.15 billion (2023)
Total equityNegative increase −US$4.71 billion (2023)
Number of employees
c. 150,000 (2023)
Websitemcdonalds.com
corporate.mcdonalds.com
Footnotes / references
[a][1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]

McDonald's Corporation, doing business as McDonald's, is an American multinational fast food chain. As of 2024, it is the second largest by number of locations in the world, behind the Chinese chain Mixue Ice Cream & Tea.[9]

Brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald founded McDonald's in San Bernardino, California, in 1940 as a hamburger stand, and soon franchised the company.[10] The logo, the Golden Arches, was introduced in 1953.[11] In 1955, the businessman Ray Kroc joined McDonald's as a franchise agent and bought the company in 1961.[12] In the years since, it has expanded internationally. Today, McDonald's has over 40,000 restaurant locations worldwide, with around a quarter in the US.[13][14]

Other than food sales, McDonald's generates income through its ownership of 70% of restaurant buildings and 45% of the underlying land (which it leases to its franchisees).[15][16] In 2018, McDonald's was the world's second-largest private employer with 1.7 million employees,[17][18][19] behind Walmart, the majority of whom work in the restaurant's franchises.[18][19]

McDonald's bestselling licensed items are their French fries and Big Mac hamburgers;[20] other fare includes cheeseburgers, chicken, fish, fruit, and salads. McDonald's has been subject to criticism for its foods nutrition, animal welfare and low worker wages.[21]


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  1. ^ Purdy, Chase (April 25, 2017). "McDonald's isn't just a fast-food chain—it's a brilliant $30 billion real-estate company". Quartz. Archived from the original on July 26, 2022. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  2. ^ Maze, Jonathan (February 26, 2015). "Why McDonald's won't ever get rid of its real estate". Nation's Restaurant News. Archived from the original on July 26, 2022. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  3. ^ "Enrique Hernandez, Jr". McDonalds.com. Archived from the original on February 11, 2018. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  4. ^ Bomkamp, Samantha (June 13, 2016). "Mcdonald's HQ Move Is Boldest Step Yet in Effort to Transform Itself". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on June 28, 2023. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference FY21 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Why You're Technically Not Able To Order A Milkshake At McDonald's". Daily Meal. September 9, 2023. Archived from the original on September 13, 2023. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  7. ^ "MCDONALDS CORP, 10-K". February 22, 2019. Archived from the original on March 29, 2019. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  8. ^ "McDonald's Corporation 2023 Annual Report Form (10-K)". United States Securities and Exchange Commission. February 22, 2024. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
  9. ^ "McDonald's loses crown as world's biggest fast-food chain to global giant with zero U.S. locations; here's all about the company that dethroned it". The Economic Times. Archived from the original on March 7, 2025. Retrieved March 17, 2025.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference :9 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference :10 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ "Who Made America? | Innovators | Ray Kroc". www.pbs.org. Retrieved May 21, 2025.
  13. ^ Heady, Jaylen (April 20, 2024). "How Many McDonald's Restaurants Are There In The World?". yahoo!finance.
  14. ^ "Number of McDonald's locations in the USA in 2025". ScrapeHero. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
  15. ^ Budzyn, Dan (September 13, 2022). "Who Owns More Land: Bill Gates, McDonald's or The Catholic Church?". Yahoo! Finance. Archived from the original on October 5, 2023. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  16. ^ Purdy, Chase (April 25, 2017). "McDonald's isn't just a fast-food chain—it's a brilliant $30 billion real-estate company". Quartz. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  17. ^ "McDonald's". World Economic Forum. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
  18. ^ a b "The World's Largest Employers". WorldAtlas. February 15, 2018. Archived from the original on June 23, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
  19. ^ a b "The world's 10 largest employers will surprise you". www.cnbc.com. June 29, 2018. Archived from the original on March 29, 2019. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
  20. ^ Harris, William (April 7, 2009). "10 Most Popular McDonald's Menu Items of All Time". HowStuffWorks. Archived from the original on May 2, 2023. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  21. ^ "Britannica Money". www.britannica.com. May 1, 2025. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
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