Overview
- McDonald’s announced the multi‑year “McDonald’s > NEXT” strategy on September 23, 2026, pledging about $8.5 billion in support for franchisees through 2036.
- Roughly $5 billion of that amount is slated to be provided by 2030 and will combine rent relief with capital to accelerate store modernizations and tech upgrades.
- The menu shift prioritizes protein‑forward, smaller‑portion items and expanded chicken offerings; items such as grilled and hand‑breaded chicken are planned while Egg Bites and bowls are being tested and are not guaranteed global rollouts.
- Planned restaurant changes include modernized dining rooms, more open kitchens, pickup lockers, drive‑through improvements, more back‑office automation, staff training and a goal to double order‑checking scales from about 10,000 to 20,000 by 2028.
- Because most locations are franchised, McDonald’s frames the money as targeted franchisee support rather than a uniform rebuild, rollout will vary by market with early tests likely in Ireland, parts of Asia and around Chicago, and the announcement pushed the share price down roughly 5 percent as investors weighed the scale and timing of the spending.