How the business works

If you have the talent and ambition to make it work, becoming a Franchisee is a brilliant way to build a business while reducing the risks of starting your own from scratch. We’ve developed a model that we believe strikes the perfect balance between freedom of ownership and hands-on support, giving our Franchisees the opportunity to thrive. Here, you can discover exactly how our Franchising model works, from franchise ownership, to the level of commitment required, to operation and what it’s like to run your own restaurant.

Typical* Annual Sales £1.5 million - £4.3 million
From May 2018 to June 2019, 80% of all McDonald’s UK franchised restaurants had sales between £1,500k and £4,300k.

To invest in a McDonald’s Franchise, the minimum financial requirement is 25% of the total investment in unencumbered funds.

The remaining 75% investment can be funded by a bank and franchisees may wish to use banks with which McDonald’s has a relationship since these provide very competitive rates

Right to run a restaurant over £100k in unencumbered funds or 25% of the restaurant value

For 80% of restaurants franchised in 2018 the cost of purchasing the franchise rights and equipment was between £350k and £1,85 million* and this was priced on profitability over a 10 year period.

*These prices are based on buying the right to run a McDonald’s company-owned restaurant. The price may vary if you purchase the right to run a restaurant from one of our Franchisees.

*Typical payment needed to obtain the right to purchase the franchise rights and equipment for a first restaurant**

**In certain circumstances, McDonald’s may be able to offer alternative financial arrangements

Typical* Annual Fees Rent, advertising and service fees

The monthly fees payable by 80% of restaurants franchised between May 2018 and June 2019 ranged between 12.25% and 21% of that restaurant’s net sales. Typically this rent is fixed for 20 years on the initial term. Rent is calculated over a 10 year period factoring in projected sales and projected profitability.

There is an additional monthly service fee of 5% of the net sales for the use of the McDonald's system as well as a contribution to the marketing fund which is currently set at 4.3% of net sales

Typical Annual Cash Flow after first year £50k - £550k

Cash flow is the money left in your business before you have taken a personal draw, and paid any loans or tax payments that may be outstanding

Typical ROI over 20 years 20% – 25%
Return on Investment is modelled such that a Franchisee has the potential to generate 20% - 25%* over a 10 year term. Note that this doesn't take account of any future investments you will make into your business during the 20-year term.

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