During an investor day held at its Chicago headquarters, McDonald’s unveiled additional details of its long-term growth strategy, emphasizing restaurant upgrades and enhanced staff training.
The company introduced its NEXT growth and productivity initiative back in June and has since laid out a roadmap for systemwide implementation of the changes.
McDonald’s plans to allocate roughly $8.5 billion in NEXT partnering support to franchisees through 2036, with about $5 billion of that provided by 2030.
This support will consist of a blend of capital assistance and rent relief for franchisees.
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McDonald’s outlined its plans to modernize restaurants and bolster franchisee support. (Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
The initiative targets roughly 250 basis points of gross restaurant‑level efficiency gains, translating to about $100,000 in additional annual cash flow for the average outlet, with most of the improvement expected to enhance profitability over time.
The restaurant component of the plan focuses on driving growth and productivity by streamlining operations, raising execution standards, modernizing store design, and rolling out the generative AI‑powered ArchIQ platform across the system.
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McDonald’s also unveiled a new customer service program aimed at fostering repeat visits and ensuring consistent experiences. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
In addition, McDonald’s introduced a multiyear training effort named ‘Make it Golden,’ launching on Founder’s Day (Oct. 5) to elevate customer service, promote uniformity, and boost repeat business.
“McDonald’s possesses unparalleled scale, customer insights, brand loyalty, and operational capabilities, enabling it not only to adapt to the next wave of industry change but to turn it into a competitive advantage,” said CEO Chris Kempczinski. “That is the essence of McDonald’s > NEXT: to be the first choice for more customers, more often, while strengthening and simplifying our restaurants.”
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“We are confident that executing across the key components of NEXT will unlock stronger restaurant economics, generate attractive returns for the Company, our franchisees and shareholders, and increase capacity to keep investing in growth,” Kempczinski added.
The announcement also set new market‑share goals, targeting a 1.5‑percentage‑point increase in both chicken and beverage sales by 2030, while preserving the company’s leading position in the beef segment.
Sales growth from unit expansion is projected to contribute roughly 2.5% to systemwide sales growth in 2027, gradually easing to about 2% by 2030.