Clearly FDD / Resources / Did the Average McDonald's Make More Money in 2025? What the 2026 FDD Shows
Industry Analysis · Published
Did the Average McDonald's Make More Money in 2025? What the 2026 FDD Shows
Yes. Item 19 of McDonald's 2026 FDD reports average annual sales of $4,088,000 across 12,702 domestic traditional restaurants open at least a year in 2025. The 2025 FDD reported $4,002,000 for 2024. The median rose to $3,917,000 from $3,838,000. At the restaurant level, the picture is more mixed.
What Item 19 reports
The metric is annual sales volume for domestic traditional restaurants open at least one year. Satellite locations are not included.
| Group | Restaurants, 2025 | Average 2025 | Average 2024 | Median 2025 | Median 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All traditional | 12,702 | $4,088,000 | $4,002,000 | $3,917,000 | $3,838,000 |
| Franchised | 12,212 | $4,057,000 | $3,966,000 | $3,887,000 | $3,797,000 |
| Company-operated | 490 | $4,871,000 | $4,793,000 | $4,812,000 | $4,612,000 |
Source: Item 19, McDonald's 2026 FDD (pp. 34–35) and 2025 FDD.
Average and median sales rose about 2% for the system. These are not same-store comparisons: the group of restaurants included changes from year to year.
The FDD also reports the share of restaurants above three sales levels:
| Sales above | All, 2025 | All, 2024 | Franchised, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| $3.0M | 81% | 79% | 81% |
| $3.2M | 75% | 72% | 75% |
| $3.4M | 68% | 65% | 67% |
Source: Item 19, 2026 and 2025 FDDs.
What happened to operating income
Item 19 also includes a pro forma built from about 11,500 franchisee-operated restaurants. At each sales level, operating income before occupancy costs dipped slightly in 2025:
| Sales level | 2025 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| $3.0M | $732,000 (24.4%) | $734,000 (24.5%) |
| $3.2M | $795,000 (24.8%) | $812,000 (25.4%) |
| $3.4M | $864,000 (25.4%) | $879,000 (25.9%) |
Source: Item 19 pro forma, 2026 FDD (p. 35) and 2025 FDD.
That figure excludes rent, royalty, depreciation, interest, and taxes, and the FDD states it should not be read as profit. Occupancy is the largest open variable: effective rent in 2025 ranged from 0% to 33.37% of sales across the system. So more restaurants are selling more, while the margin at any given sales level held roughly flat to slightly lower.
What Item 20 shows
The system grew from 13,559 to 13,706 restaurants in 2025 (+147). Franchised restaurants rose by 175 to 13,062, and company-operated restaurants fell by 28 to 644. The FDD reports 221 franchised openings and 46 non-renewals, 35 company-operated restaurants sold to franchisees, and 728 transfers between franchisees. It projects 231 franchised openings in 2026.
What it costs to get in
Item 5: $45,000 initial franchise fee. Item 7: $1,472,000 to $2,807,000 for a traditional restaurant, excluding percentage rent and royalty. Item 6: a 5% royalty for new restaurants (restaurants operated before 2024 remain at 4%), advertising of at least 4% of gross sales, and percentage rent, which for new restaurants generally runs 6% to 23% of sales.
Questions to bring to the franchisor
- What percentage rent would apply to the specific restaurant I'm considering?
- How does my restaurant's expected sales compare to the three pro forma levels?
- Which restaurants changed owners in 2025, and why?
- What remodel or technology investments are expected over the term?
The point
Average McDonald's sales rose in 2025. Whether a specific restaurant makes more money depends on its rent, royalty rate, and sales level, and the FDD gives you the pieces to work that out.
Frequently asked questions
What are McDonald's average sales per restaurant?
$4,088,000 in 2025 across 12,702 domestic traditional restaurants open at least a year, per Item 19 of the 2026 FDD.
Did McDonald's restaurant sales go up in 2025?
Yes. The average rose from $4,002,000 in 2024 to $4,088,000, and the median from $3,838,000 to $3,917,000.
How much does a McDonald's franchise cost?
The 2026 FDD estimates $1,472,000 to $2,807,000 for a traditional restaurant, including a $45,000 franchise fee.
Does McDonald's disclose franchisee profit?
Item 19 includes operating income before occupancy costs at three sales levels. It excludes rent, royalty, depreciation, interest, and taxes, and the FDD says it is not profit.