McDonald’s in France: The Four-Act Conquest

McDonald’s is today the first French restaurant chain with approximately 1,530 claimed restaurants by the company in 2024. However, the establishment of the chain in France was anything but linear.

Act 1: Strasbourg 1979, the False Start

The first French McDonald’s opens in Strasbourg in 1979, under the franchise of Raymond Dayan. But the contract is quickly contested by the American parent company, which accuses the franchisee of failing to meet operational standards. In 1982, McDonald’s Corporation terminates Dayan’s contract: the Dayan restaurants continue for a time under other names (notably “O’Kitch”), then disappear.

Act 2: Créteil 1981, the Real Start

While the proceedings against Dayan are ongoing, McDonald’s opens in 1981 in Créteil what will be considered the first “true” French McDonald’s under the direct control of the parent company. This restaurant serves as a reference for all subsequent expansion.

Act 3: The 1990s-2000s, Industrialization

The network accelerates:

• 1992: 100 restaurants in France
• 2000: 800 restaurants
• 2010: 1,200 restaurants
• 2020: 1,480 restaurants

During this period, McDonald’s asserts its franchising: predominantly French supply (beef, wheat, salad), partnerships with agricultural sectors, and communication centered on “Made in France.” The Bové controversy (2003, dismantling of the McDo in Millau) pushes the brand to accelerate this strategy.

Act 4: The Digital Era and Delivery Pressure

Since 2015, McDonald’s France has massively invested in:

• McDelivery (home delivery via Uber Eats then a proprietary app)
• Touchscreen ordering kiosks
• Drive and McDrive express
• The mobile app with targeted promotions and flash offers

Today, more than 60% of orders are made off the counter (drive, kiosk, app, delivery). This is a profound transformation of the operational model.

Position in Our Base

Our SIRENE-INSEE tag 23 franchised companies with the groupId mcdonald-s, operating 96 declared establishments including 62 open. This figure is significantly lower than the reality (1,530 restaurants) as the majority of McDonald’s France franchised companies operate under SARLs whose names do not contain “McDonald’s” – they are therefore not automatically linked to the group in our indexing.

The best-covered departments in this subpopulation: Paris (75) with 10 companies tagged, followed by Val-de-Marne (94) and Seine-et-Marne (77) with 9 each, then Rhône (69) and Hauts-de-Seine (92).

Aiming for 2030

McDonald’s France has announced a target of opening 40-50 restaurants per year over the 2025-2030 decade, primarily in medium-sized cities (50k-100k inhabitants) and along highways. The challenge: maintain profitability in the face of food and energy inflation, while absorbing increases in the SMIC, which heavily weigh on the wage mass of a sector with a high labor intensity.

To explore the franchise ecosystem: Become a McDonald’s Franchisee: Entry Ticket, Training, Return on Investment.