OAK BROOK (dpa-AFX) - McDonald's Corp. (MCD), on Wednesday unveiled its McDonald's > NEXT strategy, targeting market-share gains, higher restaurant efficiency and wider operating margins through 2030. The company plans to provide approximately $8.5 billion in franchisee support through 2036.
McDonald's aims to gain 1.5 percentage points of market share in both chicken and beverages by 2030 while maintaining its leadership in beef.
The company expects its operating margin to reach the low-to-mid 50% range and free cash flow conversion to reach the mid-to-high 80% range by 2030. It also targets about 250 basis points of gross restaurant-level efficiency gains.
McDonald's also expects unit expansion to contribute nearly 2.5% to Systemwide sales growth in 2027, moderating to about 2% by 2030.
McDonald's > NEXT has four pillars: Menu > NEXT, focused on food quality and innovation; Consumer > NEXT, aimed at deeper customer engagement and more visits; Restaurant > NEXT, centered on technology, simpler operations, restaurant modernization and GenAI-enabled ArchIQ; and People > NEXT, focused on hospitality and customer service.
The 250 basis points of efficiency gains are equivalent to roughly $100,000 in annual cash flow benefits for the average U.S. restaurant, with an estimated four-year payback period for franchisees.
The company also plans to provide approximately $8.5 billion in NEXT partnering support through 2036, including about $5 billion through 2030, through rent relief and capital support to help franchisees with technology deployment and restaurant modernization.
McDonald's shares were up nearly 1% in pre-market trading after closing at $250.35 on Tuesday.
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