McDonalds pulls ahead?
- snitzoid
- Mar 6
- 2 min read
Burger chain CEOs are competing online — but the sales race isn’t even close
Chart R
This week, America’s three biggest burger chains have been competing over something unusual: how their CEOs eat burgers.
A promotional clip of Chris Kempczinski, CEO of McDonald's, cautiously nibbling the chain’s new Big Arch burger suddenly went viral, with social media mocking the tiny bite and his description of the burger as a “product.”
Rivals quickly piled on, with Burger King posting a video of its president enthusiastically devouring a Whopper on Tuesday. The next day, Wendy's US president joined in with a video of him eating a burger and dipping fries into a Frosty, with a caption that read: “Lots of chatter this week about burgers.”
But while the internet and some of fast food’s biggest names have enjoyed roasting McDonald's, in the actual burger business, the competition doesn’t come anywhere close.
In 2008, the average McDonald’s US restaurant pulled in about $2.3 million in annual sales, roughly 1.8x that of Burger King, according to QSR Magazine. By 2024, that difference had grown to 2.4x, with the typical US McDonald’s store generating more sales than Wendy’s and Burger King’s combined.
Much of that divergence traces back to 2015, when McDonald’s then-CEO Steve Easterbrook launched a turnaround plan following the worst year for sales in decades. The chain simplified its menu and accelerated refranchising, while investing heavily in kiosks, drive-thrus, and a loyalty program that helped build a digital edge over its rivals.
Burger King, meanwhile, spent much of the 2010s struggling with a debt-heavy franchise base, leaving many locations underinvested until its 2022 turnaround plan. Wendy’s faced its own challenges, with its long-standing premium positioning losing price-sensitive customers to McDonald’s.
McDonald’s seems to have scored some smaller wins from the latest burger battle, too. Early Big Arch sales are beating expectations, per the WSJ, and Kempczinski’s social media following has jumped 30% since the video was posted.
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