McDonald's 2026 growth strategy combines restaurant expansion, value offers and digital service improvements under Accelerating the Arches. Its annual plan called for about 2,600 restaurant openings worldwide toward a 50,000-location target for the end of 2027. McDonald's 2025 annual filing
This reference was updated on September 16, 2026, with second-quarter results and the company's documented plans. Opening targets describe planned activity; operating figures below describe completed reporting periods.
How many restaurants does McDonald's plan to open?#
The 2026 plan distinguished approximately 2,600 gross openings from approximately 2,100 net additions after closures. McDonald's ended 2025 with 45,356 restaurants, approximately 95% franchised.
Most of the projected $3.7 billion to $3.9 billion in company capital spending was for new restaurants in the U.S. and International Operated Markets. Developmental licensees and affiliates would fund openings in their own markets. Development and capital plans
What changed in U.S. value offers?#
McDonald's announced an expanded McValue menu for April 21, 2026, with an Under $3 Menu and a $4 breakfast meal. The breakfast bundle combined a Sausage McMuffin or Sausage Biscuit with hash browns and a small coffee.
The same announcement listed lunch and dinner bundles at $5 for a McChicken meal and $6 for a McDouble meal. Both included four Chicken McNuggets, small fries and a small soft drink. Prices and participation could vary, some restaurants could charge more, and delivery was excluded. McValue expansion
How large is the loyalty business?#
At June 30, 2026, McDonald's reported nearly 220 million 90-day active loyalty users across 70 markets. Sales to loyalty members totaled $40 billion over the trailing 12 months. These systemwide sales include purchases at franchised restaurants; they are not McDonald's corporate revenue or a measure of sales caused solely by the rewards program. Second-quarter release and definitions
The company's 2023 investor update set goals of 250 million active loyalty users and $45 billion in annual loyalty sales by the end of 2027. Those were multi-year targets, rather than a forecast that every milestone would be reached in 2026. Investor update
Which technology has McDonald's documented?#
In an August 2025 update, Chief Information Officer Brian Rice said the Edge computing platform developed with Google was live in hundreds of U.S. restaurants and expanding internationally. It extends cloud capabilities into restaurants.
Rice also reported deployment of Accuracy Scales in thousands of restaurants across a dozen markets. The scales compare an outgoing order's weight with its expected weight and alert crew members to possible missing items. Another initiative, Ready on Arrival, uses geofencing to tell crews when an approaching customer's mobile order should enter preparation. These tools address restaurant computing, order checks and pickup timing. Digital transformation update
What did the latest quarter show?#
For the quarter ended June 30, 2026, global comparable sales rose 1.3% year over year, including 0.8% in the U.S. The company said the U.S. increase reflected higher average checks, including favorable product mix, partly offset by fewer comparable guest transactions. McDonald's comparable-sales measure covers restaurants open at least 13 months, separating performance at established restaurants from the contribution of new openings. Second-quarter results
QSR Pro Staff
The QSR Pro editorial team covers the quick service restaurant industry with in-depth analysis, data-driven reporting, and operator-first perspective.
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