McDonald's Corporation: Key Facts
- FY2025 revenue: $26.885B.
- FY2025 net income: $8.563B.
- Restaurants: 45,356 worldwide at year-end 2025.
- Employees: over 150,000 company employees.
- Leadership: CEO Chris Kempczinski.
- Status: public, NYSE: MCD.
- Headquarters: Chicago, Illinois.
How McDonald's Makes Money
McDonald's earns revenue from franchise royalties, rent, fees, and company-operated restaurant sales. Franchisees operate most restaurants and fund much of the restaurant-level capital, while McDonald's controls brand standards, menu systems, supplier relationships, digital platforms, and in many cases real estate economics.
Why McDonald's Matters
The company is the defining global quick-service restaurant system. Its moat is less about one menu item and more about convenience, density, habit, value, drive-thru throughput, franchise execution, and operating consistency.
Biggest Risk
The main risk is that consumer value pressure, wage inflation, food costs, food-safety issues, or franchisee margin strain weakens the balance between corporate returns and restaurant-level economics.
