McDonald’s to spend millions on construction boom across North Texas

Prepare to see more Golden Arches across North Texas.

McDonald’s Corp. is planning to build dozens of new restaurants in the region as part of the fast food chain’s new $8.5 billion Next initiative to attract and retain customers as the company struggles with declining market share led by rising costs. 

Globally, the company will expand with 10,000 more locations by focusing on new restaurant designs, better-tasting food, regional products and improved hospitality.

Construction filings with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation show that McDonald’s will build across the state. Most new North Texas restaurants will cost about $1.5 million each while smaller eateries will cost about $750,000, according to the preliminary filings.

“The competitive landscape is changing and with it, customers’ expectations,” McDonald’s Corp. chairman and CEO Chris Kempczinkski said during a June announcement in Las Vegas about the initiative. “Traditional competitors are upgrading their menus, and a new wave of specialists are emerging and redefining taste and quality across chicken, beef and beverages.”

With the company’s restaurants becoming more automated, Kempczinkski said it is increasingly important for employees to connect with customers. 

“Customers also depend on us for compelling, predictable value, and even more so with unprecedented inflation,” he said. “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.”    

At least 12 new Fort Worth-area McDonald’s restaurants — costing about $17.3 million — are being built in rapidly growing areas. Those restaurants include:

• 4533 Marine Creek Parkway, Fort Worth
• Northwest corner of Sendera Ranch Boulevard and Diamondback Lane, Fort Worth
• Southwest corner of Loop 820 and East Berry Street, Fort Worth
• Corner of McPherson and Brewer boulevards, Fort Worth
• Gate A15, Terminal A, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport
• 301 S. State Highway 156, Haslet
• Southwest corner of FM 156 and Tally Boulevard, Justin
• Northwest corner of South Collins Street and East Sublett Road, Arlington
• Northwest corner of U.S. Highway 287 and Lone Star Road, Mansfield
• 861 FM 731, Burleson
• FM 1187 and McCart Avenue, Crowley
• 1641 S. Meadows Drive, Granbury

Other new regional restaurants are planned in Dallas, Plano, Frisco, Princeton, Coppell, Mesquite, Lancaster, Midlothian, Sanger, Little Elm, Cedar Hill and Red Oak.

In addition, the McDonald’s at 101 E. Highway 114 in Grapevine will see drive-thru lane improvements.

The initiative will capitalize on McDonald’s strengths to provide a clear direction, said Skye Anderson, president of McDonald’s USA.

“How that strategy comes to life in the U.S. is the work we are just beginning,” she said in an online post. “We know we do our best work when the company and owner/operators create solutions side-by-side and move forward together.”

Anderson said she is confident that the Next initiative will help the company grow by focusing on fundamentals.

“Quality, Service, Cleanliness and Value (QSC&V) have always been at the heart of our promise to customers, and that’s what we’re focused on NOW,” she said.

Eric E. Garcia is senior business reporter at the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at [email protected].

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