Head-to-Head Franchise Intelligence
McDonald's vs Wendy's
Commercial comparison of unit economics, FTC Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) Item 19 average unit volume (AUV), startup capital requirements, and store tech stacks.
Contender 1Rank #1
McDonald's
Burgers & Fast Food
I'm lovin' it
Parent Holding:McDonald's Corporation
Contender 2Rank #6
Wendy's
Burgers & Fast Food
Quality Is Our Recipe
Parent Holding:The Wendy's Company
Unit Economics & Financial Benchmarks
Verified against FTC FDD Item 19 and SEC Form 10-K regulatory disclosures.
| Metric | McDonald's | Wendy's | Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median AUV (Annual Sales) | $3.62M | $2.08M | McDonald's (+74%) |
| Active Store Locations | 13,706 | 5,969 | McDonald's (Larger Fleet) |
| Initial Investment Range | $1.45M – $2.50M | $2.10M – $3.80M | Varies by site format |
| Min Liquid Capital Required | $500k | $500k | FDD Item 7 Requirement |
| Royalty Fee % | 5.0% | 4.0% | Wendy's (Lower Fee) |
| National Ad Fund % | 4.0% | 4.0% | Marketing Contribution |
| Annual Systemwide Sales | $53.10B | $12.30B | System Scale |
In-Store Tech Stack
Point-of-Sale Hardware/Software
McDonald's:NCR Aloha / NP6
Wendy's:NCR Aloha Cloud
Kitchen Display System (KDS)
McDonald's:NP6 Kitchen Video System
Wendy's:Wonderbrink KDS
Delivery Multi-Homing
DoorDash Marketplace Penetration
McDonald's:98% (13407 stores)
Wendy's:99% (15515 stores)
Uber Eats Marketplace Penetration
McDonald's:75% (10205 stores)
Wendy's:58% (9072 stores)
Need deeper store-level datasets?
Explore individual geocoded address lists, multi-unit franchisee portfolios, and full FDD Item 19 exhibits.