FRANCHISE·WATCH·DESK

MCDONALD'S vs The Counter

Side-by-side figures from each brand's latest FDD Item 20 as we extracted them; verdicts are our opinion under the published methodology, and the source filing and year are on each brand's profile. Green marks the more favorable metric (lower for distress), not a recommendation to buy.

MCDONALD'S
Proven & steady
The Counter
Too little disclosed history
Verdict
Units · latest run
+0.2% (2021–2023)
Net unit change
-36.0% (2021–2023)
Strong
Exit quality
Too little history
Weak
Transfer / churn
Too little history
Too few seasoned loans
SBA losses vs same-year loans
Too few seasoned loans
—
Distress
—
$45,000
Franchise fee
$35,000
$1.5M–$2.6M
Investment range
$724K–$2.0M
5%
Royalty
6%
Disclosed
Earnings (Item 19)
Disclosed

MCDONALD'S

The Counter

Choose different brands
Before you sign anythingfree · 30 min · no commission

A broker is usually paid by the franchisor to place you. I'm paid only by you, never by a franchisor you're considering — and the job is pressure-testing the numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.

Don Drummond, CPA — Virginia #43775 · what I charge

Book a free 30-minute call →