McDonald’s outlined a $10 billion investment in AI, payment systems, menu development, and expansion after reporting its first traffic decline since COVID-19. The plan reinstalls McDonald’s AI drive-thru ordering with a stated 95% accuracy and emphasizes digital payments, alongside menu innovation and expansion. Capital spending will rise $300–500 million annually through 2027 following a 1.4% same-store sales decline in Q4 2024. Upgrades include edge computing for sub-100ms responses, three-lane drive-thrus with Vision AI, “Ready on Arrival” order timing, and exact digital pricing as cash rounds to the nearest nickel. Initiatives span a 14-ounce Big Arch Burger arriving in March, value platforms, IoT kitchen monitoring, AI scales, and multi-year U.S. and global openings.
