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Christopher Kempczinski

Chairman President, & Chief Executive Officer, McDonald's

Search every verified Christopher Kempczinski interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. At McDonald's 2026 Investor Day on September 23, 2026, Chris Kempczinski outlined the company's "McDonald's Next" strategy, describing it as a multi-year roadmap to build capabilities that can be taught, measured, and scaled. He said the strategy is built around three commitments: equipping employees with better tools and training, strengthening performance standards, and improving guest hospitality. Kempczinski stated that McDonald's expects industry traffic growth in its wholly owned markets to remain flat while inflation stays elevated, and that growth must come from capturing greater market share. He also announced plans for what he described as the biggest upgrades to menu taste and quality in McDonald's history, targeting share gains in chicken and beverages while maintaining leadership in beef, along with goals for restaurant-level efficiency and operating margins by 2030. In a separate CNBC interview on the same day, Kempczinski said the main message of the investor day was that the company is "building on our strength," citing opportunities for growth in chicken and beverages as larger global categories where McDonald's has lower market share compared to beef. In an August 2026 conversation with Accenture CEO Julie Sweet, Kempczinski discussed the company's reinvention efforts, noting that digital and delivery have created 11 different ways to order at McDonald's, adding operational complexity. He said the company had maintained the same strategy for six years because it was working, but that changes in the environment and capabilities now require a pivot. He also referenced founder Ray Kroc's expression about continuously reinventing, saying the idea has been part of McDonald's history since its founding.

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Notable quotes

“Over the next few years, you'll see the biggest upgrades to the taste and quality of our menu in McDonald's history, driving one and a half share points of gain in both chicken and beverages while maintaining our strong leadership in beef. You'll see us deliver about 250 basis points of gross restaurant level efficiency as McDonald's Next elements are deployed across our wholly owned markets. And you'll see operating”

“We expect industry traffic growth in our wholly owned markets will be flat while inflation remains elevated. For McDonald's to succeed in that environment, growth must come from capturing greater share. As you drive traffic, you get operating leverage and margins grow. But you can't count on traffic alone to drive margin expansion. It must also come from operating more productively. The winners will be the companies ”

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