How McDonald’s Global Expansion and Menu Revamp Plans Will Impact McDonald’s (MCD) Investors

• McDonald’s has outlined one of its biggest overhauls in years, combining an aggressive plan to open more than 8,000 new restaurants worldwide by 2027 with a 2026 U.S. rollout of globally popular items such as the Big Arch burger and Hot Honey Sauce.

• This push pairs physical expansion with menu innovation, AI-enabled drive-thru upgrades, and nostalgia-driven promotions like Changeables toys and special Pokémon Happy Meals to reinforce the brand’s relevance with both value-seeking and experience-focused customers.

• We’ll now examine how this combination of rapid restaurant expansion and internationally inspired menu innovation could reshape McDonald’s broader investment narrative.

AI is about to change healthcare. These 109 stocks are working on everything from early diagnostics to drug discovery. The best part – they are all under $10b in market cap – there’s still time to get in early.

For McDonald’s, the big-picture belief is that its scale, brand strength and consistent cash generation can keep supporting dividends and buybacks, even as the company leans into a major growth push. The plan to reach 50,000 locations by 2027, combined with the 2026 U.S. rollout of the Big Arch burger and Hot Honey lineup, adds fresh short-term catalysts around traffic, mix and franchisee economics, but also raises execution and cost risks. Recent results still show steady revenue and earnings growth, and the share price has been relatively stable, suggesting the market does not yet view the international menu expansion as a material swing factor. That said, layering rapid unit growth, AI-enabled operations and nostalgia-driven promotions onto an already leveraged balance sheet could subtly shift the risk profile if the payoff is slower than hoped.

However, this expansion comes with one risk in particular that investors should not ignore. McDonald’s share price has been on the slide but might be up to 17% below fair value. Find out if it’s a bargain.

Nine Simply Wall St Community fair value views span roughly US$260 to US$331 per share, underlining how far apart individual investors can be. Set that against McDonald’s ambitious 8,000-store expansion and menu overhaul, and it becomes clear why examining several viewpoints on how those plans might pressure margins and capital allocation is essential.

Explore 9 other fair value estimates on McDonald’s – why the stock might be worth as much as 8% more than the current price!

Disagree with this assessment? Create your own narrative in under 3 minutes – extraordinary investment returns rarely come from following the herd.

Our top stock finds are flying under the radar-for now. Get in early:

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

Companies discussed in this article include MCD.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com