The following message was sent to the McDonald’s System from Chariman and CEO, Chris Kempczinski.

Ray Kroc built this company on a simple yet powerful promise: great tasting food, served with a smile, at a good value. Take care of the customer and the rest looks after itself.   

Over the last several years, we’ve made this System stronger. We built one of the largest loyalty programs in the world. Connected our brand to culture like never before. We created capabilities few companies can match.  

And when you've built what we've built, there's no better time to ask the question that has driven this company through every era: what's NEXT? 

The competitive landscape is changing and with it, customers’ expectations.    

Traditional competitors are upgrading their menus, and a new wave of specialists are emerging and redefining taste and quality across chicken, beef, and beverages.    

As more of the customer journey becomes automated, there are fewer opportunities for guests to connect with crew. With fewer interactions, the bar for hospitality that makes people feel seen, welcomed, and valued only goes up.  

Customers also depend on us for compelling, predictable value, and even more so with unprecedented inflation. While perceptions of our value have rebounded in most markets, it’s a reminder that we need to earn, and re-earn, each and every visit.    

We can’t ask our customers to choose. Hospitality or speed. Great taste or convenience. Value or quality. They want what Ray called the total of everything. They won’t trade one for another because they don’t have to.    

In a world where every restaurant is a swipe away, there is no such thing as second place.   

Which begs the question: are we our customer's first choice?  

For most it’s an unequivocal “yes,” every time. For some, “not yet.” And "not yet" is something we refuse to live with. 

So, we're going to earn it the way we always have: by rededicating ourselves to Ray's promise, built for the way customers and crew live today.  

Our ambition is simple: Be our customer's first choice. Every time. 

We’re calling it, McDonald’s > NEXT. 

McDonald's > NEXT is how we'll unlock our next phase of growth and productivity, by bringing in more customers more often and improving unit economics.  

NEXT is the what. Our shared destination. You’ll write the how, with your own path shaped by your market, your customers, and your crew.  

Time and again, we've looked at a changing world, taken what made us great, and brought it to the next level. When we’re aligned as a System, we are unstoppable. That’s how we’ve always earned our customers. NEXT starts now.