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Brand Dossier

McDonald's

FDD-based analysis. Item-level data. No franchisor input.

Rank #10 on Entrepreneur 2026  |  Category: Food  |  Updated: May 2026

Ranking from Entrepreneur Media's 2026 Franchise 500. Zorzee is independent and not affiliated with Entrepreneur Media.

Source: 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document

About McDonald's

McDonald's is a global quick-service restaurant franchise built around burgers, fries, breakfast, beverages, drive-thru traffic, delivery, digital ordering, and high-volume restaurant operations. The brand has enormous consumer awareness, but the economics still depend on site control, rent or occupancy structure, labor productivity, food cost, royalty, advertising, and required reinvestment. For a buyer, the question is whether the specific restaurant or development opportunity can produce enough cash flow after the brand's operating and capital requirements.

Source: FDD Item 1 and public profile data, rewritten by Zorzee

Numbers At a Glance

Total Investment Range
$1M to $2.3M
FDD Item 7
Franchise Fee
$45K
FDD Item 5
Royalty + Fees
8%
4%+ royalty + 4%+
Item 19 Disclosure
Not disclosed
Item 19 disclosure status requires item-level FDD review.

Signal Tracker

Five signals, one filing. Verdicts shown. The full reasoning is included in Pro.

Fee Load or Unit Economics MathDeal-Specific
Entry cost and ongoing fees are visible from the seed data. Underwrite McDonald's against $1M to $2.3M, $45K, and 8% before assuming the brand name solves the economics. Pro
Item 19 / Revenue Disclosure QualityDeal-Specific
Revenue or earnings disclosure quality requires item-level FDD review. Pro will separate disclosed Item 19 facts from Zorzee underwriting assumptions. Pro
Litigation / Legal ContextDeal-Specific
Litigation and bankruptcy context require item-level FDD review. Pro will summarize any material Item 3 or Item 4 disclosures once extracted. Pro
System Health / Validation PoolIn Line
Public profile data lists approximately 40000 units. Pro will reconcile unit trajectory and franchised-versus-company-owned movement from Item 20. Pro
Term & Exit TermsDeal-Specific
Term, renewal, transfer, default, and exit terms require Item 17 review. Pro will show where buyers can get trapped after signing. Pro

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Full FDD Data Table

ItemFieldValue
Item 5Initial / development fee$45K
Item 6Royalty + ad/media burden8%
Item 7Investment range$1M - $2.3M
Item 8Required purchases / suppliersPro
Item 12Territory / exclusivityPro
Item 15Operating participationPro
Item 17Term, renewal, transfer, ROFRPro
Item 19Earnings: avg / medianPro
Item 20Total system units40,000
Item 21AuditorPro

Item 19 Earnings

Item 19 disclosure status requires item-level FDD review. Average, median, range, and the full read are included in Pro.

System Growth

Total system units: 40,000. Year-over-year trajectory is included in Pro.

Unlock the full dossier before this brand makes your shortlist.

The free page shows the source map and headline facts. Pro unlocks the Signal Tracker reasoning, Item 19 read, Item 20 trajectory, and owner-risk notes.

Unlock the Full Dossier Book the Free Zorzee Clarity Call

Paid by the reader, not the franchisor. No pitch. Nothing to sell you from the brand.