This is a list of countries with McDonald's restaurants. McDonald's is the largest chain of fast-food restaurants in the world, [1] [ failed verification ] with more than 36,000 outlets worldwide. [2] The majority of McDonald's outlets outside of the United States are franchises.
The biggest temporary McDonald's restaurant in the world was opened during the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, which had 3,000 square metres (32,000 sq ft). [3] [4] [5] [6] The biggest still standing is the World's Largest Entertainment McDonald's. The northernmost McDonald's restaurant in the world is located in Tromsø, Norway (previously held by Rovaniemi, Finland after the restaurant in Murmansk, Russia, was closed in 2022), [7] and the southernmost in the world is located in Invercargill, New Zealand. [8]
The list of countries follows the company's own calculation and contains several non-sovereign territories.
The first McDonald's restaurant was opened in 1940 by Dick and Mac McDonald. However, on 15 April 1955, Ray Kroc launched the first McDonald's in Des Plaines, Illinois, [9] featuring a ten-item menu built around a 15-cent hamburger.
Since that time, McDonald's has operated more than 40,000 restaurants worldwide, which has increased over 16 years. [10]
# | Country/territory | Date of first store | First outlet location | Max. no. of operating outlets | Source and date of source | People per outlet | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | United States | May 15, 1940 Franchise: April 15, 1955 | San Bernardino, California Des Plaines, Illinois (Franchise) | 13,682 [11] | (source: McDonald's United States March 29, 2023) | 25,132 | First outlet in the Northern Hemisphere. See McDonald's USA |
2 | Canada ( details ) | June 3, 1967 | Richmond, British Columbia (Reopened June 23, 2017) | 1,400 [12] | (source: McDonald's Canada 5 February 2022) | 27,551 | First outlet outside the United States. See McDonald's Canada |
3 | Puerto Rico (territory of United States) | December 6, 1967 | San Juan | 108 | (source: McDonald's 2013) | 29,583 | First McDonald's in Latin America and in the Caribbean and the first McDonald's in a Hispanophone area. See McDonald's Puerto Rico |
4 | United States Virgin Islands (territory of United States) | September 5, 1970 | St. Croix | 6 | (source: McDonald's 2013) | 17,878 | |
5 | Costa Rica | December 8, 1970 | San José, 4th street, between 1st and Central Avenue. | 70 | (source: McDonald's 2013) | 71,428 | Third country (not U.S. possession) where McDonald's opened. See McDonald's Costa Rica |
6 | Australia | May 30, 1971 | Yagoona, New South Wales [13] | 1,000 [14] | (source: McDonald's December 21, 2020) | 26,763 | First outlet in Oceania, outside the Americas, and in the Southern Hemisphere. See McDonald's Australia. Locally nicknamed as Maccas. |
7 | Guam (territory of United States) | June 10, 1971 | Dededo | 6 | (source: Statista 2016) | 27,372 | First outlet in Micronesia. See McDonald's Guam & Saipan |
8 | Japan | July 21, 1971 | Ginza Mitsukoshi, Ginza, Chuo City, Tokyo | 2,900 [12] | (source: McDonald's Japan 2021) | 43,266 | First outlet in Asia, McDonald's Holdings Company Japan, Inc. [15] locally known as makku (マック) and makudo. [16] See McDonald's Japan |
9 | Netherlands | August 21, 1971 | Zaandam | 263 [17] | (source: McDonald's September 2023) | 68,160 | This was the first outlet in Europe. Opened in 1971 by European Master Franchisees Jan Sybesma McDonald's Europe – Plan to open 15 more stores in the next 4 years. See McDonald's Netherlands |
10 | Panama | September 1, 1971 | Panama City | 57 | (source: McDonald's 2013) | 71,912 | See McDonald's Panama |
11 | Germany | November 22, 1971 (West Germany) December 21, 1990 (former East Germany) [18] | Munich (West Germany) Plauen (former East Germany) | 1,422 [19] [20] | (source: McDonald's Germany September 2023) | 59,376 | First outlet in West Germany opened in Munich-Obergiesing in 1971. McDonald's is locally known as Megges. First outlet in the new states of Germany opened in Plauen in 1990 following reunification. See McDonald's Germany |
12 | France ( details ) | June 30, 1972 | Créteil | 1,500 [21] | (source: McDonald's France, 2022) | 45,209 | First outlet in Creteil in 1972 even though McDonald's officially recognizes the first outlet in Strasbourg in 1979. In 2019, France was the largest European market for the hamburger chain per investopedia.com. See McDonald's France. |
13 | El Salvador | July 20, 1972 | San Salvador | 19 | (source: McDonald's 2019) | 318,900 | |
14 | Sweden | October 27, 1973 | Kungsgatan 4, Stockholm | 190 | (source: McDonald's App 2023) | 55,478 | First outlet in Scandinavia. See McDonald's Sweden |
15 | Guatemala | June 6, 1974 | Guatemala City | 95 | (source: McDonald's 2019) | 179,894 | See McDonald's Guatemala |
16 | Curaçao (part of Netherlands Antilles at the time) | August 16, 1974 | Willemstad | 5 | (source: McDonald's 2013) | 32,203 | See McDonald's Curaçao |
17 | United Kingdom | England: November 13, 1974 [22] Wales: December 3, 1984 Scotland: November 23, 1987 [23] Northern Ireland: October 12, 1991 | Woolwich, London (England) Cardiff (Wales) Dundee (Scotland) Belfast (Northern Ireland) | 1,300 [12] | (source: McDonald's United Kingdom February 6, 2022) | 51,601 | Includes Isle of Man and Jersey (1 each) England: 1,038 Scotland: 95 Wales: 62 Northern Ireland: 26 See McDonald's UK |
18 | Hong Kong (British Hong Kong at the time) | January 8, 1975 | Paterson Street, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong Island (now closed) [24] | 253 | (source: McDonald's, September 2023) [25] | 31,190 | First outlet in a Chinese-speaking territory. Hong Kong was then a British Crown colony/Dependent Territory; McDonald's would open up a restaurant in China itself 15 years later. See McDonald's Hong Kong |
19 | Bahamas | August 4, 1975 | Nassau | 3 | (source: Dec. 2012) | 131,787 | First outlet in an independent country of the Caribbean. See McDonald's Bahamas |
20 | New Zealand ( details ) | June 7, 1976 | Porirua Central, Wellington [26] | 171 | (source: Scrape Hero [27] August 2023) | 30,657 | Founded in New Zealand by Wally and Hugh Morris [28] First South Island restaurants opened at Linwood and Merivale, both Christchurch, on November 3, 1987. [29] See McDonald's New Zealand. |
21 | Switzerland | October 20, 1976 | Geneva | 178 | (source: McDonald's App September 2023) | 50,013 | First outlet in a landlocked country. See McDonald's Switzerland |
22 | Ireland | May 9, 1977 | Grafton Street, Dublin | 92 | (source: McDonald's App September 2023) | 55,691 | First drive-thru in Europe opened in Nutgrove, Dublin and first McCafé in Europe Grafton Street, Dublin. See McDonald's Ireland |
23 | Austria | July 21, 1977 | Schwarzenbergplatz, Vienna | 202 | (source: McDonald's Austria September 2023) | 44,693 | See McDonald's Austria |
24 | Belgium | March 21, 1978 | Brussels | 110 | (source: McDonald's Belgium September 2023) | 106,341 | See McDonald's Belgium |
25 | Brazil | February 13, 1979 | Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro | 1,130 | (source: McDonald's, 2023) | 193,025 | First outlet opened in Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro, in 1979. First outlet opened in South America and first outlet in a lusophone country. Locally known as Méqui. See McDonald's Brazil |
26 | Singapore | October 20, 1979 | Liat Towers, Orchard Road | 154 | (source: McDonald's App, September 2023) | 36,604 | First outlet in Southeast Asia at Liat Towers. See McDonald's Singapore [30] |
27 | Spain | March 10, 1981 | Gran Vía, Madrid | 591 [31] | (source: McDonald's App September 2023) | 81,802 | First outlet in the Iberian Peninsula. See McDonald's Spain |
28 | Denmark | April 15, 1981 | Vesterbrogade 2D, Copenhagen | 191 | (source: McDonald's September 2023) | 58,769 | See McDonald's Denmark |
29 | Philippines ( details ) | September 27, 1981 | Nicanor Reyes Street (Morayta), Sampaloc, Manila | 699 | (source: McDonald's September 2023) [32] | 155,988 | See McDonald's Philippines. |
30 | Malaysia | April 29, 1982 | Jalan Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur [33] | 350 | (source: McDonald's September 2023) [34] | 94,857 | Oldest surviving outlet in a Muslim-majority country. See McDonald's Malaysia |
31 | Norway | November 18, 1983 | Nedre Slottsgate, Oslo | 80 | (source: McDonald's App September 2023) | 68,612 | The world's northernmost branch is located in Tromsø. See McDonald's Norway |
32 | Taiwan | January 28, 1984 | Minsheng East Road, Taipei | 413 [35] | (source: World Atlas January 12, 2018) | 57,094 | All restaurants were temporarily closed in 1992 during investigations of restaurant bombings in Taiwan; they reopened after investigations had concluded. See McDonald's Taiwan |
33 | Andorra | June 29, 1984 | Andorra la Vella | 5 | (source: 2018) [36] | 15,393 | See McDonald's Andorra |
34 | Finland | December 14, 1984 | Hämeenkatu 17, Tampere | 75 | (source: McDonald's January 2024 ) | 74,892 | The branch in Rovaniemi was the world's northernmost McDonalds from 1997 to 2013 and again from 2022 to 2024. See McDonald's Finland |
35 | Thailand | February 23, 1985 | Bangkok | 229 | (source: McDonald's App September 2023) | 304,140 | See McDonald's Thailand |
36 | Italy | March 20, 1985 | Bolzano [37] | 702 | (source: McDonald's Italy September 2023) | 83,836 | See McDonald's Italy |
37 | Aruba (part of Netherlands Antilles at the time) | April 4, 1985 | Oranjestad | 4 | (source: 2016) | 26,316 | See McDonald's Aruba |
38 | Luxembourg | July 17, 1985 | Luxembourg City | 12 | (source: McDonald's, 2023) | 55,067 | See McDonald's Luxembourg |
39 | Venezuela | August 31, 1985 | El Rosal, Caracas (now closed) | 133 | (source: 2018 website) | 240,451 | See McDonald's Venezuela |
40 | Mexico | October 29, 1985 | El Pedregal, Mexico City | 402 [35] | (source: World Atlas January 12, 2018) | 321,393 | See McDonald's Mexico |
41 | Cuba | April 24, 1986 | Guantanamo Bay | 1 | (source: Dec. 2012) | 11,480,000 | Guantanamo Bay; open only to U.S. military personnel. Not accessible for Cuban citizens. |
42 | Turkey | October 24, 1986 | Istanbul | 245 [35] | (source: McDonald's September 2023) [38] | 348,080 | First outlet opened in East Thrace; outlets in Anatolia would open later. Also first outlet in the Turkic-speaking world, with Azerbaijan coming second at 1999. See McDonald's Turkey |
43 | Argentina | November 24, 1986 | Belgrano, Buenos Aires | 222 | (source: Jun. 2018) | 199,414 | See McDonald's Argentina |
44 | Macau (Portuguese Macau at the time) | April 11, 1987 | Rua do Campo, Cathedral Parish, Macau Peninsula | 27 | (source: Dec. 2012) | 23,058 | Then Portuguese territory; Technically first in Portugal land, McDonald's would only open a restaurant in Portugal itself 4 years later. see List of restaurants. |
45 | Serbia (part of Yugoslavia at the time) | March 24, 1988 | Slavija Square, Belgrade | 32 | (source: McDonald's September 2023) [39] | 207,719 | First outlet in a communist country and in the Balkans. See McDonald's Serbia |
46 | South Korea | March 29, 1988 | Gangnam District, Seoul | 447 [31] | (source: McDonald's 2019) | 115,145 | See McDonald's South Korea |
47 | Hungary (Hungarian People's Republic at the time) | April 13, 1988 | Budapest [40] | 113 | (source: McDonald's September 2023) | 85,646 | First outlet in a Warsaw Pact country, thus first outlet behind the Iron Curtain. Locally known as Meki. See McDonald's Hungary |
48 | China | October 8, 1990 | Dongmen, Luohu District, Shenzhen | 4,978 | (source: McDonald's year-end 2022) [41] | 283,604 | The most in a market besides the US. See McDonald's China |
49 | Chile | November 19, 1990 | Las Condes, Santiago | 103 | (source: McDonald's, 2024) | 190,579 | See McDonald's Chile |
50 | Indonesia | February 23, 1991 | Sarinah, Jakarta (now closed) | 301 | (source: McDonald's September 2023) [42] | 925,901 | First branch in Sarinah closed in 2020 due to refurbishment of Sarinah itself. [43] See McDonald's Indonesia |
51 | Portugal | May 23, 1991 | CascaiShopping, Cascais | 194 | (source: McDonald's September 2023) [44] | 53,955 | See McDonald's Portugal |
52 | Greece | November 12, 1991 | Athens Syntagma Square | 31 | (source: McDonald's September 2023) | 349,416 | See McDonald's Greece |
53 | Uruguay | November 18, 1991 | Montevideo Shopping, Montevideo | 25 | (source: 2021) [45] | 164,619 | See McDonald's Uruguay |
54 | Martinique (part of France) | December 16, 1991 | Fort-de-France | 9 | (source: 2016) | 40,484 | See McDonald's French Antilles |
55 | Czech Republic (part of Czechoslovakia at the time) | March 20, 1992 | Vodičkova street, Prague | 117 | (source: McDonald's CZ, September 2023) [46] | 92,543 | First McDonald's outlet to open after the Cold War. See McDonald's Czech Republic |
56 | Guadeloupe (part of France) | April 8, 1992 | Centre de Leyton Square Area, Capesterre-Belle-Eau | 8 | (source: 2016) | 47,838 | See McDonald's French Antilles |
57 | Poland | June 17, 1992 | Marszałkowska Street, Warsaw in department store "Sezam" (now closed) | 549 [47] | (source: McDonald's Poland September 2023) | 71,496 | See McDonald's Poland |
58 | Monaco | November 20, 1992 | Monte Carlo | 1 | (source: McDonald's France September 2023) [48] | 39,050 | |
59 | Brunei | December 13, 1992 | Mission Hill Road, Bandar Seri Begawan | 6 | (source: McDonald's App 2023) | 92,069 | See McDonald's Brunei |
60 | Morocco | December 18, 1992 | Casablanca | 63 | (source: McDonald's App September 2023) | 602,931 | First outlet in Africa and the first outlet in the Arab World; McDonald's is now present in all continents except Antarctica. See McDonald's Morocco |
61 | Northern Mariana Islands (territory of United States) | March 18, 1993 | Saipan | 2 | (source:August 2011) | 27,572 | First outlet opened on the island of Saipan; second outlet opened in 1997 |
62 | Israel ( details ) | October 14, 1993 | Ayalon Mall, Ramat Gan | 229 | (source: McDonald's September 2023) | 42,728 | First outlet in the Middle East. See McDonald's Israel. |
63 | Slovenia | December 2, 1993 | Čopova Street, Ljubljana | 23 | (source: McDonald's September 2023) [49] | 92,042 | See McDonald's Slovenia |
64 | Saudi Arabia | December 8, 1993 | Riyadh | 396 | (source: McDonald's App November 2023) | 82,926 | First outlet in the Arabian Peninsula. See McDonalds's Central, Eastern and Northern. |
65 | Kuwait | June 15, 1994 | Kuwait City (now closed) | 95 | (source: McDonald's App 2023) | 45,207 | Home to the most McDonald's in the Middle East. [50] See McDonald's Kuwait The first McDonald's in Kuwait closed after 25 years of service due to an expired contract between McDonald's and the Touristic Enterprises Company [51] |
66 | New Caledonia (territory of France) | July 26, 1994 | Nouméa | 4 | (source: 2024) | 67,304 | See McDonald's New Caledonia |
67 | Oman | July 30, 1994 | Salalah | 34 | (source: McDonald's App September 2023) | 132,955 | See McDonald's Oman |
68 | Egypt | October 20, 1994 | Cairo | 192 | (source: McDonald's App 2023) | 570,556 | See McDonald's Egypt |
69 | Bulgaria | December 10, 1994 | Plovdiv | 36 (excl. seasonal restaurants) 43 (including seasonal and mobile restaurants) | (source: McDonald's Bulgaria September 2023) | 149,947 | See McDonald's Bulgaria |
70 | Bahrain | December 15, 1994 | Manama | 32 | (source: McDonald's 2019) | 45,727 | See McDonald's Bahrain |
71 | Latvia | December 15, 1994 | Riga | 14 | (source: McDonald's September 2023) [52] | 131,588 | First outlet in the Baltics. See McDonald's Latvia |
72 | United Arab Emirates | December 21, 1994 (Dubai) June 10, 1995 (Abu Dhabi) | Dubai (1994) Abu Dhabi (1995) [53] | 207 | (source: McDonald's App September 2023) | 44,843 | See McDonald's UAE |
73 | Estonia | April 29, 1995 | Tallinn | 11 | (source: McDonald's September 2023) [54] | 124,171 | See McDonald's Estonia |
74 | Romania | June 16, 1995 | Unirii Square, Bucharest [55] | 100 | (source: McDonald's September 2023) | 194,404 | Locally nicknamed as Mec. See McDonald's Romania |
75 | Malta | July 7, 1995 | Valletta | 9 | (source: McDonald's September 2023, 1 in Malta, 1 in Gozo) | 57,729 | See McDonald's Malta |
76 | Colombia | July 14, 1995 | Centro Andino, Bogota | 185 | (source: August 2021) | 605,803 | See McDonald's Colombia |
77 | Slovakia | October 14, 1995 | Banská Bystrica | 42 | (source: McDonald's Slovakia, September 2023) [56] | 130,004 | See McDonald's Slovakia |
78 | South Africa | November 11, 1995 | Blackheath, Gauteng | 368 | (source: McDonald's September 2023) [57] | 157,740 | First outlet in Southern Africa. See McDonald's South Africa |
79 | Qatar | December 13, 1995 | Doha | 75 | (source: McDonald's App September 2023) | 37,273 | See McDonald's Qatar |
80 | Honduras | December 14, 1995 | Tegucigalpa | 10 | (source: McDonald's 2019) | 842,273 | See McDonald's Honduras |
81 | Sint Maarten (part of Netherlands Antilles at the time) | December 15, 1995 | Philipsburg | 3 | (source: December 2013) | 13,703 | |
82 | Croatia | February 2, 1996 | Zagreb | 46 | (source: McDonald's December 2023) [58] | 84,170 | See McDonald's Croatia |
83 | Samoa (named Western Samoa at the time) | March 2, 1996 | Apia | 1 | ? | 196,440 | lo |
84 | Fiji | May 1, 1996 | Suva | 4 | (source: 2001) | 226,376 | See McDonald's Fiji |
85 | Liechtenstein | May 3, 1996 | Triesen | 1 | (source: 2018) | 37,810 | See McDonald's Switzerland |
86 | Lithuania | May 31, 1996 | Vilnius | 17 | (source: McDonald's September 2023) | 168,690 | See McDonald's Lithuania |
87 | India | October 13, 1996 [59] | Delhi | 480 [60] | (source: 2021) | 2,897,032 | First outlet in South Asia. See McDonald's India |
88 | Peru | October 18, 1996 | San Isidro, Lima | 40 | (source: 2014) | 804,250 | See McDonald's Peru |
89 | Jordan | November 7, 1996 | Amman | 46 | (source: McDonald's App 2024) | 249,670 | See McDonald's Jordan |
90 | Paraguay | November 21, 1996 | Asuncion | 22 | (source: 2024) | 282,676 | See McDonald's Paraguay |
91 | Dominican Republic | November 30, 1996 | Santo Domingo | 31 | ? | 347,419 | Country with the second most locations of McDonald's in the Caribbean, after Puerto Rico. See McDonald's Dominican Republic |
92 | French Polynesia (territory of France) | December 10, 1996 | Tahiti | 6 | ? | 47,167 | |
93 | Trinidad and Tobago | May 6, 1997 | The Falls at West Mall | 6 | ? | 228,167 | McDonald's previously had stores in Trinidad (May 6, 1997 – October 25, 2003) but closed due to low sales. Re-opened at The Falls at West Mall in 2011 and has since expanded to 5 other locations. [61] |
94 | Ukraine | May 24, 1997 | Near Lukianivska metro station in Kyiv | 111 | (source: McDonald's App September 2023) | 331,033 | All three restaurants in the peninsula of Crimea were permanently closed after the Russian military invasion in March 2014. [62] [63] The 2 restaurants in Donetsk and the only one in Luhansk were also permanently closed after the War in Donbas intensified in late 2014. [64] [65] All restaurants in Ukraine were temporarily closed down due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022; they reopened in September that same year. [66] The restaurant in Kherson was destroyed during the Russian occupation and the restaurant in Melitopol remain close as the city is under Russian control since March 2022. [67] See McDonald's Ukraine, |
95 | Cyprus | June 12, 1997 | Larnaca | 24 | (source: McDonald's Cyprus September 2023) | 51,841 | See McDonald's Cyprus |
96 | Guernsey and Jersey (British Crown dependencies) | August 1, 1997 | Saint Helier | 1 | ? | 100,080 | |
97 | Ecuador | October 9, 1997 | Centro Comercial Iñaquito (CCI), Quito | 34 | (source: 2024) | 514,216 | See McDonald's Ecuador |
98 | Réunion (part of France) | December 14, 1997 | Saint-Denis | 16 | (source: 2024) | 55,356 | See McDonald's Réunion |
99 | Isle of Man (British Crown dependency) | December 15, 1997 | Douglas | 1 | ? | 84,287 | |
100 | Suriname | December 18, 1997 | Paramaribo | 3 | (source: 2021) | 192,000 | |
101 | Moldova | April 30, 1998 | Chișinău | 10 | (source: 2024) | 280,480 | All restaurants are in the capital Chișinău. See McDonald's Moldova |
102 | Nicaragua | July 11, 1998 | Managua | 6 | (source: June 2010) | 1,036,333 | All McDonald's outlets in Nicaragua temporarily ceased operation during the Nicaraguan Civil War and were re-opened in 1998 after an absence of two decades. Amidst the war, however, one outlet continued operations as "Donald's". [68] See McDonald's Nicaragua |
103 | Lebanon | September 18, 1998 | Beirut | 23 | (source: McDonald's App 2023) | 230,296 | See McDonald's Lebanon |
104 | Pakistan ( details ) | September 19, 1998 [69] | Lahore | 83 | (source: McDonald's App September 2023) | 2,909,632 | See McDonald's Pakistan |
105 | Sri Lanka | October 16, 1998 | Colombo | 12 | (source: McDonald's App 2023) | 1,848,417 | On March 25, 2024, all 12 outlets were temporarily closed until further notice as a result of McDonald's terminating its agreement with its Sri Lankan franchisee, Abans Plc, after being ordered by the Colombo High Court not to use the McDonald's branding. There were also allegations of poor hygiene. [70] [71] [72] See McDonald's Sri Lanka |
106 | Georgia | February 5, 1999 | Rustaveli Avenue, Tbilisi | 23 | (source:McDonald's November 2023) | 160,376 | First outlet in the Caucasus. See McDonald's Georgia |
107 | Gibraltar (territory of United Kingdom) | August 13, 1999 | Westside | 1 | (source: 2018) | 34,571 | See McDonald's Spain |
108 | Azerbaijan | November 6, 1999 | Fountains Square, Baku | 23 | (source: 2023) [73] | 450,143 | See McDonald's Azerbaijan |
109 | French Guiana (part of France) | February 22, 2000 | Cayenne | 2 | (source: 2016) | 148,356 | See McDonald's French Antilles |
110 | American Samoa (territory of United States) | September 29, 2000 | Pago Pago | 2 | (source: 2008) | 27,821 | |
111 | Mauritius | July 4, 2001 | Port Louis | 16 | (source: 2024) | 81,841 | See McDonald's Mauritius |
112 | Mayotte (part of France) | May 1, 2003 | Mamoudzou | 1 | ? | 300,000 | |
113 | Iraq | August 10, 2006 | Baghdad | 1 | (source: 2006) | 38,270,000 | One outlet in Baghdad opened for U.S. Army forces fighting in the US invasion of Iraq. Not accessible for Iraqi citizens. |
114 | Vietnam | February 8, 2014 | Ho Chi Minh City | 33 | (source: McDonald's App 2023) | 3,030,303 | See McDonald's Vietnam |
115 | Tunisia | 2015 | Tunis | 12 | (source: ?) | 1,030,000 | Official |
# | Country/territory | Date of first store | Date of closure | Reason for closure |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Barbados | August 25, 1989 | December 13, 1990 | Closed due to extremely poor sales. [74] |
2 | Bermuda (territory of United Kingdom) | November 10, 1985 | March 9, 1995 | Closed after the passage of a government law banning franchised restaurants in the territory. The McDonald's restaurant was located on a US Naval Air Station and was thus exempt from the law. When the base closed in 1995, the restaurant was required to do likewise. [75] |
3 | Bolivia | November 21, 1997 | November 30, 2002 | Closed due to poor sales and high prices. McDonald's has since attempted to reenter the Bolivian market, but with little success. |
4 | Jamaica | April 15, 1995 | October 14, 2005 | Closed due to governmental problems and declining sales. [76] |
5 | Montenegro (part of Serbia and Montenegro at the time) | June 1, 2004 | 2007 | A seasonal McDonald's restaurant was opened in Budva but was later closed due to the lack of a permanent location. [77] |
6 | Iceland | September 9, 1993 | October 31, 2009 | Closed due to the 2008–2011 Icelandic financial crisis. All former McDonald's restaurants were renamed locally as Metro, which served the same menu as McDonald's along with domestic products. [78] |
7 | North Macedonia (named Republic of Macedonia at the time) | September 6, 1997 | May 14, 2013 | Closed due to a dispute in contract and contractual obligations with the franchise owner Sveto Janevski. McDonald's has since attempted to reenter the Macedonian market, with little success. [79] |
8 | San Marino | July 6, 1999 | July 6, 2019 | The one and only Sammarinese McDonald's restaurant was located in Borgo Maggiore. It ceased operations on July 6, 2019, 20 years after its opening, due to its close proximity to restaurants in nearby Italian communities, which resulted in a decline of sales. |
9 | Russia ( details ) (part of Soviet Union at the time) | January 31, 1990 | May 16, 2022 | First restaurant was opened in Pushkin Square, Moscow in 1990. It was the first outlet in the Soviet Union itself, which then dissolved in December 1991 after its opening. In March 2022, McDonald's suspended all operations in Russia due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. McDonald's later chose to permanently shut down all McDonald's operations in Russia, citing geopolitical concern. Before its closure, McDonald's had opened 850 restaurants in Russia. [80] The brand was relaunched on June 12, 2022, as Vkusno i tochka (Вкусно и точка, "Tasty and that's it") by local franchisee Alexander Govor, who acquired the operations in May from McDonald's. While the menu and equipment remains the same, most of the trademarks were dropped. [81] [82] It is expected McDonald's will have an option to reacquire the 850 restaurants in 15 years. [83] |
10 | Belarus | December 10, 1996 | November 27, 2022 | In November 2022, it was announced that McDonald's would be suspending operations in Belarus, and did so on November 27, and claimed the Russian fast food chain Vkusno i tochka (Вкусно и точка, Tasty and that's it) would take its place. Instead, the restaurants began operating under the sign, "We are open!". [84] [85] [86] In early April 2023, KSB Victory Restaurants (operators of McDonald's in Belarus) filed an application for registration of the name and trademark "Mak.by". [87] On April 18, 2023, the restaurant chain was renamed "Mak.by". [88] [89] [90] |
11 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | July 20, 2011 | December 31, 2022 | Closed "until further notice" due to McDonald's having its license to operating in the country taken away. [91] |
12 | Kazakhstan | March 8, 2016 | January 5, 2023 | Closed due to supply restrictions that buying burger patties from Russia was prohibited due to Russian invasion of Ukraine. [92] On 23 January 2023 the local owner of the franchise, Food Solutions KZ, reopened the restaurants under the brand "MyOtkryty" (МыОткрыты, WeAreOpen) with the same menu under slightly altered names. [93] On 16 August 2023 this brand name was dropped and each of the restaurants in the country received its own name following the next pattern: "I'm" followed by any Kazakh or Russian first name, e.g. "Men Aidanamin" (Мен Айданамын, I'm Aidana). [94] On 23 November of the same year the brand was renamed again as "I'm" written in English. [95] |
The Big Mac is a hamburger sold by the international fast food restaurant chain McDonald's. It was introduced in the Greater Pittsburgh area in 1967 and across the United States in 1968. It is one of the company's flagship products and signature dishes. The Big Mac contains two beef patties, cheese, shredded lettuce, pickles, minced onions, and a Thousand Island-type dressing advertised as "special sauce", on a three-slice sesame-seed bun.
Hesburger is a fast food chain based in Turku, Finland. Today, it is the largest hamburger restaurant chain in Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania with a market share larger than that of U.S.-based rival McDonald's. It further operates in Ukraine, Germany and Bulgaria. Hesburger primarily purveys fast foods such as hamburgers, fries, salads and desserts. The company name is derived from the nickname of the founder, Heikki "Hese" Salmela. The company also operates Hesecafes, which sell pastries and specialty coffees, as well as hot dog outlets. Some restaurants provide car wash services.
There are multiple urban legends centering around the fast-food chain McDonald's. These legends include claims about the food and allegations of discrimination by the company.
A veggie burger is a hamburger made with a patty that does not contain meat, or the patty of such a hamburger. The patty may be made from ingredients like beans, nuts, grains, seeds, or fungi such as mushrooms or mycoprotein.
The McChicken is a chicken sandwich sold by the international fast food restaurant McDonald's. In some countries, such as Australia, Fiji, India, New Zealand, and the UK, it is considered to be a chicken burger, especially given it is not a sandwich as that word is understood in some of those non-American varieties of English. It consists of a toasted wheat bun, a breaded patty, shredded lettuce and mayonnaise.
The Filet-O-Fish is a fish sandwich sold by the international fast food restaurant chain McDonald's. It was created in 1962 by Lou Groen, a McDonald's franchise owner in a predominantly Catholic neighborhood in Cincinnati, Ohio, in response to declining hamburger sales on Fridays due to the practice of abstaining from meat on that day. While the fish composition of the sandwich has changed through the years to cater to taste preferences and address supply limitations, the framework of its ingredients have remained constant; a fried breaded fish fillet, a steamed bun, tartar sauce and pasteurized American cheese.
McDonald's Corporation is an American multinational fast food chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechristened their business as a hamburger stand, and later turned the company into a franchise, with the Golden Arches logo being introduced in 1953 at a location in Phoenix, Arizona. In 1955, Ray Kroc, a businessman, joined the company as a franchise agent and in 1961 bought out the McDonald brothers. Previously headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois, it moved to nearby Chicago in June 2018. McDonald's is also a real estate company through its ownership of around 70% of restaurant buildings and 45% of the underlying land.
The American fast-food restaurant chain McDonald's was founded in 1940 and has since grown to the world's largest restaurant chain by revenue.
McDonald's Restaurants of Canada, Limited is the Canadian master franchise of the fast-food restaurant chain McDonald's, owned by the American parent McDonald's Corporation. One of Canada's largest fast-food restaurant chains, the franchise sells food items – including hamburgers, chicken, French fries and soft drinks – all across the country. McDonald's is known for its high fat and calorie foods, but it also has alternatives such as salads, juice and milk. McDonald's was Canada's largest food-service operator before being overtaken by Tim Hortons in 2005.
The McArabia is a pita bread sandwich available at all McDonald's outlets in Arab countries and Pakistan. It is known as the Grilled Chicken foldover in Singapore, Malaysia and South Africa, as McOriental in Spain, France and Holland, the McTurco in Turkey, Greek Mac in Greece and Cyprus, and as the McKebab in Israel. The sandwich was originally made to meet West Asian local taste.
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of fast food restaurants, serving around 68 million customers daily in 119 countries. McDonald's traces its origins to a 1940 restaurant in San Bernardino, California. After expanding within the United States, McDonald's became an international corporation in 1967, when it opened a location in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. By the end of the 1970s, McDonald's restaurants existed in five of the Earth's seven continents; an African location came in 1992 in Casablanca, Morocco.
McDonald's Israel is the Israeli master franchise of the fast food restaurant chain McDonald's. Operated and licensed by Alonyal Limited, McDonald's Israel is the largest of Israel's burger chains with a 60% market share. It was the first Israeli outlet to be opened in 1993 and a major competitor of the local restaurant chain Burger Ranch. The world's first kosher McDonald's was opened in Mevaseret Zion in October 1995. McDonald's purchased Alonyal Limited in April 2024.
The McDouble is a hamburger sold by the fast-food restaurant chain McDonald's. It is a variation on the double cheeseburger, with only one slice of cheese placed between the two beef patties. It was introduced in 1997. It is one of the cheapest products sold by the company, and for this reason is often included in the chain's budget menus.
McDonald's Restaurants Limited is the New Zealand subsidiary of the international fast food restaurant chain McDonald's. Its first location opened in 1976. In 2017 McDonald's New Zealand had 167 restaurants operating nationwide, serving an estimated one million people each week. The company earned revenues of over $250 million in the 2018 financial year.
A virtual restaurant, also known as a ghost kitchen, cloud kitchen or dark kitchen, is a food service business that serves customers exclusively by delivery and pick-up based on phone and online ordering. Virtual restaurants are stand-alone businesses that either operate out of an existing restaurant's kitchen or from a separate kitchen set-up away from a restaurant. By not having a full-service restaurant with a storefront and dining room, virtual restaurants can economize by occupying cheaper real estate. The reduced space lowers overall overhead and operational costs, thus yielding higher profit margins, as the price of the food provided is typically not changed. The virtual restaurant's single kitchen format allows for multiple brands to share kitchen space.
Christopher John Kempczinski is an American business executive, and the president and chief executive officer (CEO) of McDonald's Corporation. As of March 2024, Kempczinski also serves as chairman of the McDonald's board of directors.
The McPlant is a vegetarian burger sold by the fast-food chain McDonald's in several European countries. In 2021, McDonald's partnered with Beyond Meat, a Los Angeles–based producer of plant-based meat substitutes, to create the McPlant platform. It features a plant-based meat alternative burger patty made from plant ingredients such as potatoes, peas and rice.
From 1990 to 2022, the American fast food chain McDonald's operated and franchised McDonald's restaurants in Russia.
Vkusno i tochka is a Russian fast food chain based mostly in former McDonald's restaurants, with a menu that largely consists of rebranded McDonald's items. McDonald's closed their Russian stores in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine; Vkusno i tochka restaurants mostly occupy former McDonald's restaurants that were sold to business magnate and entrepreneur Alexander Govor, who was a company licensee in Siberia.