McDonald's 10-Q 2025-09-30

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, DC 20549

FORM 10-Q

OR

Commission File Number 1-5231

McDONALD’S CORPORATION

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

(630) 623-3000

(Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and "emerging growth company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No ☒

712,154,350

(Number of shares of common stock

outstanding as of September 30, 2025)

McDONALD’S CORPORATION

INDEX

All trademarks used herein are the property of their respective owners and are used with permission.

PART I – FINANCIAL INFORMATION

See Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

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Basis of Presentation

This Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (MD&A) should be read in conjunction with the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements and the notes thereto, and the audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in our 2024 Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Certain columns and rows in financial tables within MD&A may not add due to rounding. Percentages have been calculated from the underlying whole-dollar amounts for all periods presented.

Overview

The Company franchises and owns and operates McDonald's restaurants, which serve a locally relevant menu of quality food and beverages in communities across more than 100 countries. Of the 44,599 McDonald's restaurants at September 30, 2025, approximately 95% were franchised.

The Company's reporting segments are aligned with its strategic priorities and reflect how management reviews and evaluates operating performance. Significant reportable segments include the United States ("U.S.") and International Operated Markets. In addition, there is the International Developmental Licensed Markets & Corporate, which includes the results of over 75 countries, as well as Corporate activities.

McDonald's franchised restaurants are owned and operated under one of the following structures - conventional franchise, developmental license or affiliate. The optimal ownership structure for an individual restaurant, trading area or market (country) is based on a variety of factors, including the availability of individuals with entrepreneurial experience and financial resources, as well as the local legal and regulatory environment in critical areas such as property ownership and franchising. The business relationship between the Company and its independent franchisees is supported by adhering to standards and policies, including McDonald's Global Brand Standards, and is of fundamental importance to overall performance and to protecting the McDonald’s brand.

The Company is primarily a franchisor and believes franchising is paramount to delivering great-tasting food, locally relevant customer experiences and driving profitability. Franchising enables an individual to be their own employer and maintain control over all employment related matters, marketing and pricing decisions, while also benefiting from the strength of McDonald's global brand, operating system and financial resources.

Directly operating McDonald's restaurants contributes significantly to the Company's ability to act as a credible franchisor. One of the strengths of the franchising model is that the expertise from Company-owned and operated restaurants allows McDonald's to improve the operations and success of all restaurants while innovations from franchisees can be tested and, when viable, efficiently implemented across relevant restaurants. Having Company-owned and operated restaurants provides Company personnel with a venue for restaurant operations training experience. In addition, in our Company-owned and operated restaurants, and in collaboration with franchisees, the Company is able to further develop and refine operating standards, marketing concepts and product and pricing strategies.

The Company's revenues consist of sales by Company-owned and operated restaurants and fees from franchised restaurants operated by conventional franchisees, developmental licensees and affiliates. Fees vary by type of site, amount of Company investment, if any, and local business conditions. These fees, along with occupancy and operating rights, are stipulated in franchise/license agreements that generally have 20-year terms. The Company's Other revenues are comprised of fees paid by franchisees to recover a portion of costs incurred by the Company for various technology and digital platforms, and revenues from brand licensing arrangements to market and sell consumer packaged goods using the McDonald's brand.

Conventional Franchise

Under a conventional franchise arrangement, the Company generally owns or secures a long-term lease on the land and building for the restaurant location and the franchisee pays for equipment, signs, seating and décor. The Company believes that ownership of real estate, combined with the co-investment by franchisees, enables it to achieve restaurant performance levels that are among the highest in the industry.

Franchisees are responsible for reinvesting capital in their businesses over time. In addition, to accelerate implementation of certain initiatives, the Company may co-invest with franchisees to fund improvements to their restaurants or operating systems. These investments, developed in collaboration with franchisees, are designed to cater to consumer preferences, improve local business performance and increase the value of the McDonald's brand through the development of modernized, more attractive and higher revenue generating restaurants.

The Company requires franchisees to meet rigorous standards and generally does not work with passive investors. The business relationship with franchisees is designed to facilitate consistency and high quality at all McDonald’s restaurants. Conventional franchisees contribute to the Company's revenue, primarily through the payment of rent and royalties based upon a percent of sales, with specified minimum rent payments, along with initial fees paid upon the opening of a new restaurant or grant of a new franchise. The Company's heavily franchised business model is designed to generate stable and predictable revenue, which is largely a function of franchisee sales, and resulting cash flow streams.

Developmental License or Affiliate

Under a developmental license or affiliate arrangement, licensees are responsible for operating and managing their businesses, providing capital (including the real estate interest) and developing and opening new restaurants. The Company generally does not invest any restaurant capital under a developmental license or affiliate arrangement, and it receives a royalty based on a percent of sales, and generally receives initial fees upon the opening of a new restaurant or grant of a new license.

While developmental license and affiliate arrangements are largely the same, affiliate arrangements are used in a limited number of foreign markets (primarily China and Japan) within the International Developmental Licensed Markets, as well as a limited number of individual restaurants within the International Operated Markets where the Company also has an equity investment and records its share of net results in equity in earnings of unconsolidated affiliates.

Strategic Direction

The Company’s Accelerating the Arches growth strategy (the “Strategy”) encompasses all aspects of McDonald's business as the leading global omni-channel restaurant brand. Our Strategy reflects the Company's purpose, mission and values, as well as growth pillars that build on the Company's competitive advantages.

Purpose, Mission and Values

The following purpose, mission and values underpin the Company's success and are at the heart of our Strategy.

Through its size and scale, the Company embraces and prioritizes its role and commitment to the communities in which it operates through its purpose to feed and foster communities, and its mission to make delicious feel-good moments easy for everyone. The Company is guided by five core values that define who it is and how it runs the business across the three-legged stool of McDonald's franchisees, suppliers and employees:

**1.**Serve - We put our customers and people first;

**2.**Inclusion - We open our doors to everyone;

**3.**Integrity - We do the right thing;

**4.**Community - We are good neighbors; and

**5.**Family - We get better together.

The Company believes that its people, all around the world, set it apart and bring these values to life daily.

Growth Pillars

The following growth pillars,

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There were no material changes to the disclosures made in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024 regarding these matters.

Disclosure Controls

An evaluation was conducted under the supervision and with the participation of the Company’s management, including the CEO and CFO, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures (as that term is defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act")) as of September 30, 2025. Based on that evaluation, the CEO and CFO concluded that the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of such date to provide reasonable assurances that information required to be disclosed by the Company in the reports filed or submitted under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in SEC rules and forms, and is accumulated and communicated to the Company's management, including the CEO and CFO, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

The Company is in the process of a multi-year, comprehensive transformation of its technology and operating model across multiple areas of the business, in an effort to modernize our processes and create efficiencies.

This technology transformation includes the implementation of certain new systems. Operating model transformation includes centralizing or outsourcing certain more routine functions.

The Company is performing this implementation in the ordinary course of business to increase efficiency and to modernize the tools and technology used in its key financial processes. This is not in response to any identified deficiency or weakness in the Company's internal control over financial reporting. As the phased implementation of the systems continues, the Company has modified certain processes and procedures to enhance the quality of internal control over financial reporting. The Company will continue to monitor and modify, as needed, the design and operating effectiveness of key control activities to align with the updated business processes and capabilities of the new financial systems.

Except for these changes, the Company’s management, including the CEO and CFO, confirm there has been no change in the Company's internal control over financial reporting during the fiscal quarter ended September 30, 2025 that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company's internal control over financial reporting.

PART II – OTHER INFORMATION

Item 1. Legal Proceedings

There were no material changes to the disclosure made in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024 regarding these matters.

For a discussion of risk factors affecting the Company's business, refer to the “Risk Factors" section in Part I, Item 2 of this report.

Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds

Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities*

The following table presents information related to repurchases of common stock the Company made during the quarter ended September 30, 2025:

• Subject to applicable law, the Company may repurchase shares directly in the open market, in privately negotiated transactions or pursuant to derivative instruments and plans complying with Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act, among other types of transactions and arrangements.

(1)As disclosed on February 25, 2025 in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, the Company's Board of Directors approved a share repurchase program on November 21, 2024, effective January 1, 2025 with no specified expiration date, that authorized the purchase of up to $15.0 billion of the Company's outstanding common stock.

Rule 10b5-1 Trading Plans

In accordance with the disclosure requirement set forth in Item 408(a) of Regulation S-K, the following table discloses the officers (as defined in Rule 16a-1(f) under the Exchange Act) and directors who adopted a contract, instruction or written plan for the sale of the Company’s securities intended to satisfy the affirmative defense conditions of Rule 10b5-1(c) during the quarter ended September 30, 2025. These trading plans were respectively terminated and adopted during an open trading window.

[1] On August 7, 2025, Joseph Erlinger, President, McDonald’s USA, terminated a Rule 10b5-1 trading plan that was adopted on August 28, 2024, and provided for the sale of up to 16,484 shares of McDonald’s stock until December 23, 2025. Following the termination of the previous Rule 10b5-1 trading plan, on August 7, 2025, Mr. Erlinger entered into a new Rule 10b5-1 trading plan, which provides for the potential sale of up 45,083 shares of McDonald’s stock until December 23, 2026 (with the first trade under the new trading plan scheduled for January 12, 2026).

[2] Represents the maximum number of shares that are eligible to vest pursuant to Mr. Erlinger’s 2023 performance-based restricted stock unit award. The actual number of shares that will vest and be sold pursuant to the trading plan will depend upon the Company’s performance against the applicable performance targets.

Other than as disclosed above, no officer or director adopted, modified, or terminated a contract, instruction or written plan for the purchase or sale of the Company’s securities intended to satisfy the affirmative defense conditions of Rule 10b5-1(c) or a non-Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangement.

SIGNATURE

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.