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Are McDonald’s collector cups worth more than the liquid assets inside?

Aug 27, 2024
McDonald's has released multiple cup collections over the years. We spoke to a memorabilia expert on whether you should buy, sell or hold.
McDonald's has released Collector's Edition Cups that feature characters like Grimace, Hello Kitty, Shrek and Barbie.
McDonald's USA, LLC

California's fast-food workers got a big pay hike. Franchise owners say they're struggling.

Aug 19, 2024
The state's $20-an-hour mandate pressures some outlets to raise prices and risk turning away low-income customers.
Jaylene Loubet, a McDonald’s cashier and fast-food worker advocate, says the pay boost helps cover her family's expenses.
Megan Jamerson/KCRW

McDonald's sales slipped. That may mean lower-income consumers feel pinched.

Jul 29, 2024
Reporting quarterly results, the fast-food company said customers "continue to be more intentional with the dollars they spend."
McDonald's weak results are prompting varied interpretations. Maybe consumers are tightening their budgets, or maybe they're moving higher up the food chain.
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Fast-food chains may need to offer more value meals to lure customers

May 13, 2024
McDonalds, KFC and Pizza Hut have reported soft sales as customers reject inflated prices. That means franchises have to get creative.
Fast-food restaurants hope that meal deals will bring back patrons who feel that eating out has become too expensive.
Brandon Bell/Getty Images

The days of free refills may be over

May 13, 2024
McDonald’s announced that it would phase out its self-service machines by the end of 2032. More restaurants may follow suit.
Self-serve refill machines will be phased out at McDonald's by 2032.
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How expensive fast food can explain rising economic equality

Jan 17, 2024
Fast food workers' wages are up as much as 30% since 2020. That has had real costs for businesses, but real benefits for society.
In the fast food sector, where many workers in the bottom 10% of the income distribution are employed, wages went up by 5.7% when adjusted for inflation between 2020 and 2022, says Eric Levitz of Vox.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Can McDonald's latest venture satisfy consumers' thirst for specialty beverages?

Dec 20, 2023
The chain's new cafe concept, CosMc's, wants a sip of Starbucks' or Dunkin' Donuts' market share.
McDonald's recently launched CosMc's to compete with drink purveyors like Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts.
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For public good, not for profit.

On McDonald's Investor Day, more data on how its small format restaurants are doing

Dec 6, 2023
With changing patterns of dining, how are small format restaurants, like McDonald's CosMc, shaping up?
CosMc, a new concept restaurant by McDonald's, is based on a McDonald's character of the same name from outer space.
Shammi Mehra/AFP via Getty Images

Franchises are big business, but they're adjusting to economic headwinds

Sep 22, 2023
Franchisees get help with marketing and branding, but the corporate parent can’t do much about high interest rates and labor costs.
McDonald's royalty fees will rise from 4% to 5% for some franchisees, according to a company email viewed by Marketplace.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

For Russians, McDonald's was once a symbol of modernity. Its closing feels like a step backward.

Mar 23, 2022
When the golden arches opened, Russians marveled at how it differed from local restaurants: friendly service and plastic packaging.
When McDonald's opened in Moscow in 1990, Russians looked at it as "a window to a different world," says Konstantin Sonin, a University of Chicago professor who grew up in Russia. Above, the Pushkin Square restaurant.
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