McDonald's officially released its latest strategic plan this Monday, internally codenamed "McDonald's > NEXT." According to a memo sent to the entire system by CEO Chris Kempczinski that day, the plan aims to unlock the next phase of growth and productivity by attracting more customers, increasing visit frequency, and improving per-store economic performance.

"McDonald's > NEXT is our way to unlock the next phase of growth and productivity by attracting more customers to visit more often and improving per-store economics," Kempczinski said in the memo.

According to the accompanying diagram in the memo, the chain plans to improve quality and taste through menu innovation; enhance consumer relationships by co-creating with its most loyal fans; emphasize better in-restaurant experience and productivity; and redefine McDonald's-style hospitality through its employees.

Menu Innovation: Focus on Core Categories and Flavor Expansion

Many initiatives in this strategy are extensions of existing plans, including the menu innovation pipeline. McDonald's formed new dedicated teams in 2025, focusing on the development and improvement of burgers, chicken, and beverages. According to a statement released by the company via email, menu innovation under the new strategy will focus on creating better burgers and chicken products and improving coffee consistency.

Specifically, the chicken category will introduce new sauces, increase product variety, and upgrade the McCrispy platform. Over the past year, the brand launched chicken strips and brought back Snack Wraps. Additionally, McDonald's previously expanded its beverage platform with a new McCafe product line and launched the Big Arch Burger as a limited-time offering earlier this year.

"We are raising our menu standards by improving quality and consistency at scale, and by innovating in areas like chicken, beef, and beverages that we see as growth opportunities and that matter to customers," said Jill McDonald, Executive Vice President and Global Chief Restaurant Experience Officer at McDonald's, in an emailed statement.

Restaurant Experience Redesign and Operational Efficiency Improvement

The "McDonald's > NEXT" strategy also includes plans to reimagine restaurants, aiming to improve experiences for employees and customers while creating greater operational efficiency. This could mean designing restaurants that clearly look like McDonald's but are more engaging.

"We are creating moments of delight for customers and employees by making restaurants easier to operate and more worthwhile to visit," added Jill McDonald.

The chain also wants to add more connected and intuitive systems to avoid teams constantly switching between multiple tools. McDonald's will test automated ordering systems to allow employees to focus on other tasks. The company did not provide further details about the test.

Strengthening Hospitality and Employee Support Systems

The company will also work to improve its hospitality services and attempt to build closer ties with local hospitality cultures. For example, the "How's Your Hi" program introduced in Canada focuses on greeting customers, and this training model has now been incorporated into the training systems of Australia and China.

McDonald's hopes to help restaurant managers by centralizing administrative tasks, thereby giving employees and managers more time, skills, and motivation to provide a better customer experience. The company is creating a single-entry tool or dashboard for new hires to replace the multiple fragmented tools currently used in onboarding and training.

"When we take care of our people—by providing better tools, environment, and more support—they can have more time to engage with customers, meet their needs, and do so in a more personalized way," said Tiffanie Boyd, Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer at McDonald's.

Marketing-Driven Growth: Proven Success Cases

McDonald's may also invest more time and resources in marketing campaigns to attract customers in the future. The brand has multiple successful test cases in marketing strategy, including the popular "A Minecraft Movie" meal and "Grinch" themed meal in 2025, as well as the recent collaboration with KPop Demon Hunters—which has been proven to boost sales.

Such promotions help increase customer loyalty while also driving menu innovation. In the first quarter, these promotions helped McDonald's achieve a 3.9% increase in same-store sales.

"Today's customers not only want to see the brand, they want to be part of it," said Morgan Flatley, Executive Vice President and Global Chief Marketing Officer and Head of New Business at McDonald's, in a statement. "We are creating brand-led content and co-creating with fans to reach consumers in relevant and personalized moments."