Value is the key to McDonald’s growth plans, but it’s creating tensions with some franchiseesFEB 11 2026
KEY POINTS
• McDonald’s has doubled down on value messaging to customers with Extra Value Meals and Snack Wraps, which will likely help to boost sales this quarter.
• But some franchisees are standing ground in their ability to continue to independently set prices.
• At times the value focus has caused frustrations among parts of its operator base, and an independent advocacy group of operators has adopted a Franchisee Bill of Rights that includes the ability to set prices without fear of recourse.
• McDonald’s says its franchise owners set their own prices.
The restaurant sector has spent the past 18 months trying to figure out how to reach consumers in a hypercompetitive and uneven economy. McDonald’s
, which is set to report earnings after the bell Wednesday, has doubled down on value messaging to customers via Extra Value Meals and Snack Wraps, which will likely help to boost sales this quarter. (The food they serve is horrid and has been for at least a 2 decades. Plus they reduce the portions and charge more. They should a real poll.)
But the focus on value has caused frustrationsat times among parts of the chain’s operator base.
The company rolled out new franchise standards for McDonald’s operators on Jan. 1, including assessing locations on how their prices deliver value. McDonald’s said its owners are still able to set their own prices, but the standards nonetheless shape and define how franchisees — which operate 95% of McDonald’s restaurants — run their stores.
A cohort of operators is standing ground in their ability to continue to independently set prices.
The National Owners Association, an independent franchisee advocate group, adopted a Franchisee Bill of Rights in August and circulated it in an email to members last month as the standards took effect, according to a copy of the message viewed by CNBC.
The last of the bill’s rights is the “right to set prices without fear of recourse,” which says, “Franchisees, as independent Owner/Operators, have the right to set menu prices for their restaurants based on their own business judgment and market conditions. This right exists irrespective of the pricing decisions of any national, regional, or local co-op or franchisor initiative. Franchisees must be free to manage their pricing strategy without fear of intimidation, or diminished support from McDonald’s or its affiliated entities.”
It also lists the “right to renewal and transfer,” giving owners the “absolute right to a fair and reasonable opportunity to renew franchise agreements … subject only to objective, clearly stated standards of approval.”
In December, McDonald’s told operators it would begin value assessments as part of its updates to franchising standards. Continued noncompliance could result in penalties or even termination.
At the time, the company said its new standards would provide “greater clarity … to ensure every restaurant delivers consistent, reliable value across the full customer experience,” according to a memo reviewed by CNBC….
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/11/mcdonalds-value-franchisees.html