According to recently released information, McDonald's USA is operating 13,769 restaurants as of July 31, 2026.
That's 186 more restaurants than at the same time last year. Of course, that wouldn't be all new stores, as it would be reduced by some closures, but I doubt there are many closures during a time of reckless growth. That's 93 stores a quarter, so let's assume the third quarter of 2026 would also see another 93-store increase in the USA.
We know that McDonald's historically opens half of their new stores in the fourth quarter of each year. But management has already admitted they are behind schedule, so let's throw a number at the wall and expect 150 openings in the fourth quarter of this year.
That's an increase of 429 stores in 2026, meaning the total USA count this coming January should be around well over 14,000.
We can only speculate about the future, but Accelerating the Arches is probably now at full speed, and many deals are in process that will open in 2027. It's conceivable that next year could see 800 to 1,000 additional McDonald's stores
Can the McDonald's USA system handle 15,000 restaurants?
2 comments:
New stores cannibalize existing store(s) sales by 20-40%, and come with significantly higher rents (16-20%). So the only one who truly wins is Corporate MCD.
Proof that this is all just a "stunt" is in the goals. Who says 50,000 stores is the right number? Maybe it's 42,503 or 60,222? I envision that at the end of the BOD presentation, at least one director raises their hand and asks, "Has anybody done the math on this?"
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