McDonald's Pledges $8.5 Billion to Franchisees Through 2036 Under Next Strategy

McDonald's (MCD) said on Sept. 23, 2026, it will provide roughly $8.5 billion in support to franchisees through 2036 to fund restaurant upgrades, technology deployment and operational improvements, with about $5 billion flowing to operators by 2030 through rent relief and direct capital contributions. The company said the program should add about $100,000 to annual cash flow at a typical U.S. restaurant, with franchisees recouping net investment in roughly four years. The plan centers on Restaurant > NEXT, including equipment upgrades, a new design and an AI-powered operating system, ArchIQ, expected to yield about 250 basis points of gross efficiency improvement across U.S. and international operated markets. McDonald's targets an operating margin in the low-to-mid 50% range by 2030, up from 46.1% in 2025, aided by cutting general and administrative costs to about 1.9% of system-wide sales. It also seeks 1.5 percentage points of global market share growth in chicken and beverages by 2030. The chain projects 2027-2030 baseline capital expenditures of about $3 billion annually.