Franchise opportunities compared
McDonald’s Corporation vs Mikes Red Tacos
Reviewed figures from each brand's Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD), side by side. Each figure carries its FDD year and page. This is not a ranking or recommendation, and the two FDDs may cover different years and location groups.
Before you compare
- Both sets of figures come from 2026 FDDs.
- McDonald’s Corporation and Mikes Red Tacos disclose more than one business format, so the investment range spans formats; the full report breaks them out.
- Item 19 figures cover the location groups each FDD names (McDonald’s Corporation: 7, Mikes Red Tacos: 2). Different groups are not directly comparable.
| Disclosure |  McDonald’s Corporation | MRMikes Red Tacos |
|---|---|---|
| Financial commitment | ||
| Estimated initial investment (Item 7) | $701,000 – $1,472,000 2026 FDD · Item 7 | $594,550 – $1,988,000 2026 FDD · Item 7 |
| Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5) | Not available No single standard fee identified | Not available No single standard fee identified |
| Royalty (Item 6) | 1) — 5% 0- Item 6 Other Fees OTHER FEES Type of fee Amount Due Date Remarks Royalty 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 18 | $3.00 creased to 4 % of weekly Gross Sales) Same as Continuing Royalty You must contribute — 3% 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 14 |
| Brand / advertising fund (Item 6) | $4.00 Advertising and Promotion — 5) Not less than — 4% 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 18 | $170 {00199195.DOC. } 6 [ 2026 FDD v1F ] operations and marketing fee (currently — 170 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 13 |
| System scale & health | ||
| Total outlets (Item 20) | 1,370 Outlets at end of 2023 2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 45 | 4 Outlets at end of 2025 2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 65 |
| Net outlet change (Item 20) | Not available Only one year reported | +2 Calculated: 2 at end of 2023 → 4 at end of 2025 |
| Outlet exits (Item 20) | Not available No complete exit records for a year | Not available No complete exit records for a year |
| Franchising since (Item 1) | 1955 From a verified franchisor listing | Not available Not in reviewed records |
| Franchisor founded (Item 1) | Not available Not in reviewed records | Not available Not in reviewed records |
| Performance (Item 19) | ||
| Financial performance (Item 19), by location group | Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — domestic traditional McDonald’s restaurants $20,421,000 other domestic traditional McDonald’s restaurants · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 42 Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — domestic traditional McDonald’s restaurants 81 percent other domestic traditional McDonald’s restaurants · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 42 Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — domestic traditional franchised McDonald’s restaurants $4,057,000 other domestic traditional franchised McDonald’s restaurants · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 42 +4 more groups in the full report | Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Affiliate Location 2 $3,775,315 other Affiliate Location 2 · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 64 Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Affiliate Location 1 $3,328,866 other Affiliate Location 1 · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 64 |
Item 19 groups are shown separately and never combined. Revenue or sales figures are not profit. Net outlet change and turnover are Franopolis calculations from the disclosed counts; turnover is a count-based rate, not a measure of owner earnings.