McDonald’s is launching its most aggressive expansion to date.
The fast-food giant announced on Wednesday that it plans to open 10,000 new restaurants over the next four years with the goal of having 50,000 restaurants worldwide by the end of 2027. The Chicago-based burger chain, the world’s largest, had 40,275 restaurants at the start of this year.
The initiative is dubbed Accelerating the Arches.
As part of the strategy, McDonald’s also announced a new partnership with Google Cloud to speed up automation using AI which, in part, will lead to “hotter, fresher food,” the company says.
“This will help accelerate automation innovation from equipment manufacturers and allow restaurant general managers to quickly spot and enact solutions to reduce business disruptions.”
It also plans to expand its loyalty rewards program from 150 to 250 million active users by 2027.
McDonald’s same-store sales rose nearly 9% worldwide in the third quarter, even as U.S. traffic fell slightly.
“As I’ve said before, there has never been a better time to be part of Brand McDonald’s,” President and CEO Chris Kempczinski said in a statement to investors. “We have a clear trajectory for future growth as we continue to build on the brand strength, global footprint and digital ecosystem that have resulted in unparalleled competitive advantages and cemented McDonald’s as one of the world’s leading consumer-facing brands.”
Brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald opened their first restaurant on 14th Street near E Street in San Bernardino, California in 1940, initially selling barbecue. Several years later, they scaled back their menu to burgers, soft drinks, milk, coffee, potato chips and pie, the company explains on its website.
French fries replaced potato chips in 1949 – the same year they began offering milkshakes. The Big Mac didn’t arrive until 1968, at which point McDonald’s’ national expansion was well underway under the leadership of then-CEO Ray Kroc.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
