McDonald’s Corporation is a global quick-service restaurant company that operates and franchises restaurants under the McDonald’s brand. Its restaurants serve a menu that includes hamburgers, cheeseburgers, chicken sandwiches, French fries, breakfast items, desserts, salads, beverages and coffee. Offerings vary by market, and many locations provide drive-thru service, delivery and digital ordering through the McDonald’s mobile app.
The company operates through a heavily franchised business model, with restaurants owned and operated by independent franchisees, affiliates and the company itself. McDonald’s serves customers in markets across North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and Africa. Its restaurants are supported by standardized branding, operating procedures, marketing and global supply-chain relationships.
McDonald’s traces its origins to a restaurant opened by brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald in San Bernardino, California, in 1940. Ray Kroc joined the business as a franchise agent in the 1950s and helped develop the company’s large-scale franchise system. Chris Kempczinski serves as the company’s president and chief executive officer.
