About the McDonald's franchise system
McDonald's operates the most extensive franchise network, with more than 13,500 US locations across all 50 states. Roughly 95% of US restaurants are operated by independent franchisees — multi-unit operators who often run between 3 and 50 restaurants.
Franchismo tracks 1,950+ verified independent franchisee organizations. McDonald's Corporation has historically cited a higher count that includes licensee entities and certain restricted-territory operators; we exclude those until each record is independently verified.
Reaching the right McDonald's franchisee requires owner-level data, not corporate contacts. Franchismo maps every verified US McDonald's franchisee back to the restaurants they operate, the regions they cover, and the contact details vendors need to start a real conversation.
Source: Franchismo methodology · FDD Item 20 (latest filing) · State franchise registrations · Operator-level verification on a 90-day cycle · Authored by Franchismo Research, AwareGTM.
Operator consolidation trend, 2020–2026
The McDonald's US franchisee base has shrunk roughly 18% since 2015 while unit count has held flat — the system is steadily consolidating into fewer, larger operators. The median McDonald's owner ran ~4 units in 2015 and runs ~7 today.
For vendors, this matters: 2025 buying decisions on payroll, POS, and BOH tech are increasingly made by 10-to-50-unit operators with formal vendor evaluation cycles, not single-store owners.
Franchismo Index figures are directional estimates from Franchismo Research, synthesized from FDD Item 20 filings, state registrations, and operator filings. See methodology.
Top states by McDonald's location count
Approximate US distribution of McDonald's locations. Full state, MSA, and county-level breakdowns are included for unlimited subscribers.
Notable McDonald's multi-unit operators
Sample of McDonald's multi-unit franchisees in the Franchismo dataset. Names redacted on the public page — unlock McDonald's or go unlimited to see them.
Sample operator
Regional operator — Southeast
FL, GA, AL
47 units
Sample operator
Regional operator — Texas
Houston, San Antonio
38 units
Sample operator
Regional operator — California
LA County
24 units
McDonald's franchisee data — questions, answered
About this brand
The McDonald's franchise system operates approximately 13,500+ US locations, run by 1,950+ individual franchisee operators tracked in the Franchismo dataset. Franchismo compiles McDonald's franchisee owner data from Franchise Disclosure Document (Item 20) filings and state registration sources, including operator names, direct contact information, and the specific locations each operator owns. Brand-level records are refreshed monthly; owner-level contacts are re-verified on a rolling 90-day cycle. The McDonald's franchisor is headquartered in Chicago, IL and files its FDD in IL.
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