Inside McDonald’s ambitious plans to upgrade its menu, technology, and restaurants

The fast food chain wants to be a first-choice restaurant, and will invest across its system to solidify that position over the next decade.

Last week, McDonald’s laid out major plans for menu development, technology deployment — including the rollout of ArchIQ — restaurant remodels and marketing.

The chain said it would commit $8.5 billion in partner support through 2036 to the plan, including roughly $5 billion in rent relief and capital support by 2030. The company expects 250 basis points of improvement in gross store-level productivity in the U.S., roughly equivalent to a $100,000 per store gain in franchisee cash flow.

Analysts said the plans were ambitious, but were largely optimistic about how Next can improve performance over time. Deutsche Bank analysts said they expected the chain to return to outperformance through efforts focused on food taste and quality, and innovation in beverage and chicken, stronger marketing and improvements to the customer experience.

“It remains to be seen whether [McDonald’s] will meet its lofty goals. But we believe investing in the restaurants, the dining experience, value, and execution is a good use of capital,” Carol Levenson, Gimme Credit's Director of Research, said in a report emailed to Restaurant Dive. “From a bond investorʼs perspective, it is a far more agreeable financial policy than returning more cash to shareholders.”

• 3 Big Numbers: How McDonald’s is investing in its Next playbook By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • Sept. 28, 2026 The Golden Arches is targeting 250 basis points in restaurant-level efficiency gains, backed by major investments in equipment and processes. Read the full article ➔

• McDonald’s turns to AI for drive-thru, inventory management, order accuracy By Julie Littman • Sept. 25, 2026 McDonald’s will roll out ArchIQ, an artificial intelligence platform to power restaurant operations, as part of its Next strategy. Read the full article ➔

• How McDonald’s plans to reactivate 150M infrequent loyalty guests By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • Sept. 25, 2026 The Golden Arches will add rewards tiers, tie-ups with other major brands and increased personalization to its loyalty system. Read the full article ➔

• McDonald’s is designing bigger burgers, chicken bowls and new beverages By Julie Littman • Sept. 24, 2026 The fast food giant plans to increase its market share with chicken and beverages as it expands those platforms while doubling down on beef. Read the full article ➔

• Inside McDonald’s new marketing model as it enters media network fray By Chris Kelly • Sept. 24, 2026 At its first investor day since 2023, the fast food giant announced it is piloting a media network with the goal of building a $1 billion ad business. Read the full article ➔

• McDonald’s to invest $8.5B as part of Next strategy By Julie Littman • Sept. 23, 2026 The funding will be used to support restaurant modernization, tech deployments and operational improvements through 2036. Read the full article ➔