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Summary of Significant Accounting Policies | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2023
Accounting Policies [Abstract] |
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies |
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
NATURE OF BUSINESS The Company franchises and operates McDonald’s restaurants in the global restaurant industry. All restaurants are operated either by the Company or by franchisees, including conventional franchisees under franchised arrangements, and developmental licensees or affiliates under license agreements. The following table presents restaurant information by ownership type:
Restaurants at December 31, | 2023 |  | 2022 |  | 2021
Conventional franchised | 21,818 |  |  | 21,720 |  |  | 21,607 |
Developmental licensed | 8,684 |  |  | 8,229 |  |  | 7,913 |
Foreign affiliated | 9,178 |  |  | 8,220 |  |  | 7,775 |
Total Franchised | 39,680 |  |  | 38,169 |  |  | 37,295 |
Company-operated | 2,142 |  |  | 2,106 |  |  | 2,736 |
Total Systemwide restaurants | 41,822 |  |  | 40,275 |  |  | 40,031 |
The results of operations of restaurant businesses purchased and sold in transactions with franchisees were not material either individually or in the aggregate to the consolidated financial statements for periods prior to purchase and sale. CONSOLIDATION The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its subsidiaries. Investments in affiliates owned 50% or less (primarily McDonald’s China and Japan) are accounted for by the equity method. On an ongoing basis, the Company evaluates its business relationships such as those with franchisees, joint venture partners, developmental licensees, suppliers and advertising cooperatives to identify potential variable interest entities. Generally, these businesses qualify for a scope exception under the variable interest entity consolidation guidance. The Company has concluded that consolidation of any such entity is not appropriate for the periods presented. ESTIMATES IN FINANCIAL STATEMENTS The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S. requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from those estimates. FOREIGN CURRENCY TRANSLATION Generally, the functional currency of operations outside the U.S. is the respective local currency. RECENT ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS Recent Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted Segment Reporting In November 2023, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (the "FASB") issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") No. 2023-07, "Segment Reporting (Topic 280): Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures" ("ASU 2023-07"). The pronouncement expands annual and interim disclosure requirements for reportable segments, primarily through enhanced disclosures about significant segment expenses. ASU 2023-07 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023, and for interim periods beginning after December 15, 2024. We are currently in the process of determining the impact that ASU 2023-07 will have on the Company's consolidated financial statement disclosures. Income Taxes In December 2023, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (the "FASB") issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") No. 2023-09, "Income Taxes (Topic 740): Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures" ("ASU 2023-09"). The pronouncement expands the disclosure requirements for income taxes, specifically related to the rate reconciliation and income taxes paid. ASU 2023-09 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024. We are currently in the process of determining the impact that ASU 2023-09 will have on the Company's consolidated financial statement disclosures. REVENUE RECOGNITION The Company's revenues consist of sales by Company-operated restaurants and fees from restaurants operated by franchisees, developmental licensees and affiliates. Revenues from conventional franchised restaurants include rent and royalties based on a percent of sales with minimum rent payments, and initial fees. Revenues from restaurants licensed to developmental licensees and affiliates include a royalty based on a percent of sales, and generally include initial fees. The Company’s Other revenues are comprised of fees paid by franchisees to recover a portion of costs incurred by the Company for various technology platforms, revenues from brand licensing arrangements to market and sell consumer packaged goods using the McDonald’s brand and third-party revenues for the Dynamic Yield business, for periods prior to its sale on April 1, 2022. Sales by Company-operated restaurants are recognized on a cash basis at the time of the underlying sale and are presented net of sales tax and other sales-related taxes. Royalty revenues are based on a percent of sales and recognized at the time the underlying sales occur. Rental income includes both minimum rent payments, which are recognized straight-line over the franchise term and variable rent payments based on a percent of sales, which are recognized at the time the underlying sales occur. Initial fees are recognized as the Company satisfies the performance obligation over the franchise term, which is generally 20 years. The Company provides goods or services related to various technology platforms to certain franchisees that are distinct from the franchise agreement because they do not require integration with other goods or services that the Company provides. The Company has determined that it is the principal in these arrangements. Accordingly, the related revenue is presented on a gross basis on the Consolidated Statement of Income. These revenues are recognized as the goods or services are transferred to the franchisee, and related expenses are recognized as incurred. Brand licensing arrangement revenues are based on a percent of sales and are recognized at the time the underlying sales occur. For periods prior to April 1, 2022, Dynamic Yield third party revenues were generated from providing software as a service solutions to customers and were recognized over the applicable subscription period as the service was performed. PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT Property and equipment are stated at cost, with depreciation and amortization provided using the straight-line method over the following estimated useful lives: buildings–up to 40 years; leasehold improvements–the lesser of useful lives of assets or lease terms, which generally include certain option periods; and equipment–3 to 12 years. The Company periodically reviews these lives relative to physical factors, economic factors and industry trends. If there are changes in the planned use of property and equipment, or if technological changes occur more rapidly than anticipated, the useful lives assigned to these assets may need to be shortened, resulting in the accelerated recognition of depreciation and amortization expense or write-offs in future periods. The Company may share in the cost of certain restaurant improvements with its franchisees. Since McDonald's manages the project and provides up front funding in these instances, during the project the Company estimates which costs are the responsibility of McDonald's and which are the responsibility of the franchisee, and allocates the corresponding costs between Property and equipment and Accounts receivable. Upon the completion of the project, the allocation of costs is finalized and may result in immaterial adjustments to the balances and associated depreciation expense. Refer to the Property and Equipment footnote on page 50 of this Form 10-K for additional information. LEASING The Company is the lessee in a significant real estate portfolio, primarily through ground leases (the Company leases the land and generally owns the building) and through improved leases (the Company leases the land and buildings). The Lease right-of-use asset and Lease liability reflect the present value of the Company’s estimated future minimum lease payments over the lease term, which includes options that are reasonably assured of being exercised, discounted using the rate implicit in each lease, if determinable, or a collateralized incremental borrowing rate considering the term of the lease and particular currency environment. Leases with an initial term of 12 months or less, primarily related to leases of office equipment, are not included in the Lease right-or-use asset or Lease liability and continue to be recognized in the Consolidated Statement of Income on a straight-line basis over the lease term. The Company has elected not to separate non-lease components from lease components in its lessee portfolio. To the extent that occupancy costs, such as site maintenance, are included in the asset and liability, the impact is immaterial and is generally limited to Company-owned restaurant locations. For franchised locations, which represent the majority of the restaurant portfolio, the related occupancy costs including property taxes, insurance and site maintenance are generally required to be paid by the franchisees as part of the franchise arrangement. In addition, the Company is the lessee under non-restaurant related leases such as office buildings, vehicles and office equipment. These leases are not a material subset of the Company’s lease portfolio. CAPITALIZED SOFTWARE Capitalized software is stated at cost and amortized using the straight-line method over the estimated useful life of the software, which primarily ranges from 3 to 10 years. Customer facing software is typically amortized over a shorter useful life, while back office and Corporate systems may have a longer useful life. Capitalized software less accumulated amortization is recorded within Miscellaneous other assets on the Consolidated Balance Sheet and was (in millions): 2023-$836.0; 2022-$864.3; 2021-$795.0. The Company reviews capitalized software for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable or if an indicator of impairment exists, which occurs more regularly throughout the year, such as when new software may be ready for its intended use. Results for the year ended December 31, 2023 reflected the write-off of impaired software no longer in use of $71.7 million. The Company did not identify any indicators of material impairment of capitalized software for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021. LONG-LIVED ASSETS Long-lived assets are reviewed for impairment annually in the fourth quarter and whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. For purposes of annually reviewing McDonald’s restaurant assets for potential impairment, assets are initially grouped together in the U.S. at a field office level, and internationally, at a market level. The Company manages its restaurants as a group or portfolio with significant common costs and promotional activities; as such, an individual restaurant’s cash flows are not generally independent of the cash flows of others in a market. If an indicator of impairment exists for any grouping of assets, an estimate of undiscounted future cash flows produced by each individual restaurant within the asset grouping is compared to its carrying value. If an individual restaurant is determined to be impaired, the loss is measured by the excess of the carrying amount of the restaurant over its fair value as determined by an estimate of discounted future cash flows. Losses on assets held for disposal are recognized when management and the Company's Board of Directors, as required, have approved and committed to a plan to dispose of the assets, the assets are available for disposal and the disposal is probable of occurring within 12 months, and the net sales proceeds are expected to be less than its net book value, among other factors. Generally, such losses are related to restaurants that have closed and ceased operations as well as other assets that meet the criteria to be considered “held for sale." GOODWILL Goodwill represents the excess of cost over the net tangible assets and identifiable intangible assets of acquired restaurants and other businesses, and it is generally assigned to the reporting unit (defined as each individual market) expected to benefit from the synergies of the combination. The Company's goodwill primarily results from purchases of McDonald's restaurants from franchisees or transactions in which the Company obtains a controlling interest in subsidiaries or affiliates. When purchasing restaurants from a franchisee, the Company generally uses a discounted cash flow methodology (Level 3 inputs within the valuation hierarchy), which determines the fair value of restaurants acquired based on their expected profitability and cash flows. If a Company-operated restaurant is sold within 24 months of acquisition, the goodwill associated with the acquisition is written off in its entirety. If a Company-operated restaurant is sold beyond 24 months from the acquisition, the amount of goodwill written off is based on the relative fair value of the business sold compared to the reporting unit. The following table presents the 2023 activity in goodwill by segment:
In millions | U.S. | International Operated Markets | International Developmental Licensed Markets & Corporate | Consolidated
Balance at December 31, 2022 | $ | 1,815.2 |  |  | $ | 1,085.2 |  |  | $ | — |  |  | $ | 2,900.4 |
Net restaurant purchases (sales) | 17.7 |  |  | 89.7 |  |  | — |  |  | 107.4 |
Currency translation | — |  |  | 32.6 |  |  | — |  |  | 32.6 |
Balance at December 31, 2023 | $ | 1,832.9 |  |  | $ | 1,207.5 |  |  | $ | — |  |  | $ | 3,040.4 |
The Company conducts goodwill impairment testing in the fourth quarter of each year or whenever indicators of impairment exist. If an indicator of impairment exists, the goodwill impairment test compares the fair value of a reporting unit, generally based on discounted future cash flows, with its carrying amount including goodwill. If the carrying amount of a reporting unit exceeds its fair value, an impairment loss is recorded for the difference. In the current period, the Company performed a qualitative assessment and did not identify any indicators of impairment. Historically, goodwill impairment has not significantly impacted the consolidated financial statements. Goodwill on the Consolidated Balance Sheet reflects accumulated impairment losses of $14.5 million as of December 31, 2023 and 2022. ADVERTISING COSTS Advertising costs included in operating expenses of Company-operated restaurants primarily consist of contributions to advertising cooperatives based upon a percent of sales, and were (in millions): 2023–$347.2; 2022–$334.5; 2021–$377.6. In addition, significant advertising costs are incurred by conventional franchisees through contributions to advertising cooperatives in individual markets that are also based upon a percent of sales. In the markets that make up the vast majority of the Systemwide advertising spend, including the U.S., McDonald’s is not the primary beneficiary of these entities, and therefore has concluded that consolidation would not be appropriate, as the Company does not have the power through voting or similar rights to direct the activities of the cooperatives that most significantly impact their economic performance. Production costs for radio and television advertising are expensed when the commercials are initially aired. These production costs, primarily in the U.S., as well as other marketing-related expenses are included in Selling, general & administrative expenses and were (in millions): 2023–$41.7; 2022–$63.8; 2021–$82.9. INCOME TAXES Income Tax Uncertainties The Company, like other multi-national companies, is regularly audited by federal, state and foreign tax authorities, and tax assessments may arise several years after tax returns have been filed. Accordingly, tax liabilities are recorded when, in management’s judgment, a tax position does not meet the more likely than not threshold for recognition. For tax positions that meet the more likely than not threshold, a tax liability may still be recorded depending on management’s assessment of how the tax position will ultimately be settled. The Company records interest and penalties on unrecognized tax benefits in the provision for income taxes. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the tax consequences of temporary differences between the financial reporting basis and the tax basis of existing assets and liabilities. The Company records a valuation allowance to reduce its deferred tax assets if it is considered more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. While the Company has considered future taxable income and ongoing prudent and feasible tax strategies, including the sale of appreciated assets, in assessing the need for the valuation allowance, if these estimates and assumptions change in the future, the Company may be required to adjust its valuation allowance. This could result in a charge to, or an increase in, income in the period such determination is made. Refer to the Income Taxes footnote on page 55 of this Form 10-K for additional information. Accounting for Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income ("GILTI") The accounting policy of the Company is to record any tax on GILTI in the provision for income taxes in the year it is incurred. FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS The Company measures certain financial assets and liabilities at fair value on a recurring basis, and certain non-financial assets and liabilities on a nonrecurring basis. Fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in the principal or most advantageous market in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measurement date. Fair value disclosures are reflected in a three-level hierarchy, maximizing the use of observable inputs and minimizing the use of unobservable inputs. The valuation hierarchy is based upon the transparency of inputs to the valuation of an asset or liability on the measurement date. The three levels are defined as follows: ▪Level 1 – inputs to the valuation methodology are quoted prices (unadjusted) for an identical asset or liability in an active market. ▪Level 2 – inputs to the valuation methodology include quoted prices for a similar asset or liability in an active market or model-derived valuations in which all significant inputs are observable for substantially the full term of the asset or liability. ▪Level 3 – inputs to the valuation methodology are unobservable and significant to the fair value measurement of the asset or liability. Certain of the Company’s derivatives are valued using various pricing models or discounted cash flow analyses that incorporate observable market parameters, such as interest rate yield curves, option volatilities and foreign currency rates, classified as Level 2 within the valuation hierarchy. Derivative valuations incorporate credit risk adjustments that are necessary to reflect the probability of default by the counterparty or the Company. ▪Certain Financial Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value The following tables present financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis by the valuation hierarchy as defined in the fair value guidance:
December 31, 2023 |  |  |  |  |  |
In millions | Level 1 (1) |  | Level 2 |  | Total Carrying Value
Investments | $ | 191.5 |  |  |  |  |  | $ | 191.5 |
Derivative assets | $ | 188.6 |  |  | $ | 20.7 |  |  |  | $ | 209.3 |
Derivative liabilities |  |  | $ | (118.2) |  |  |  | $ | (118.2) |
December 31, 2022 |  |  |  |  |  |
In millions | Level 1 (1) |  | Level 2 |  | Total Carrying Value
Derivative assets | $ | 200.5 |  |  | $ | 82.0 |  |  |  | $ | 282.5 |
Derivative liabilities |  |  | $ | (141.7) |  |  |  | $ | (141.7) |
(1) Level 1 is comprised of derivatives and investments that hedge market driven changes in liabilities associated with the Company’s supplemental benefit plans. ▪Non-Financial Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value on a Nonrecurring Basis Certain assets and liabilities are measured at fair value on a nonrecurring basis; that is, the assets and liabilities are not measured at fair value on an ongoing basis, but are subject to fair value adjustments in certain circumstances (e.g., when there is evidence of impairment). For the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company did not record any material fair value adjustments to long-lived assets (including goodwill). ▪Certain Financial Assets and Liabilities not Measured at Fair Value At December 31, 2023, the fair value of the Company’s debt obligations was estimated at $38.4 billion, compared to a carrying amount of $39.3 billion. The fair value of debt obligations is based upon quoted market prices, classified as Level 2 within the valuation hierarchy. The carrying amount of cash and equivalents and notes receivable approximate fair value. SHARE-BASED COMPENSATION The Company has a share-based compensation plan, which authorizes the granting of various equity-based incentives including stock options and restricted stock units (“RSUs”) to employees and nonemployee directors. Share-based compensation, which includes the portion vesting of all share-based awards granted based on the grant date fair value, is generally amortized on a straight-line basis over the vesting period in Selling, general & administrative expenses. The fair value of each stock option granted is estimated on the date of grant using a closed-form pricing model. The pricing model requires assumptions, which impact the assumed fair value, including the expected life of the stock option, the risk-free interest rate, expected volatility of the Company’s stock over the expected life and the expected dividend yield. The Company uses historical data to determine these assumptions and if these assumptions change significantly for future grants, share-based compensation expense will fluctuate in future years. In addition, the Company estimates forfeitures when determining the amount of compensation costs to be recognized each period. The fair value of each RSU granted is equal to the market price of the Company’s stock at date of grant. For performance-based RSUs, the Company includes a relative Total Shareholder Return ("TSR") modifier to determine the number of shares earned at the end of the performance period. The fair value of performance-based RSUs that include the TSR modifier is determined using a Monte Carlo valuation model. Refer to the Share-based Compensation footnote on page 59 of this Form 10-K for additional information. PER COMMON SHARE INFORMATION Diluted earnings per common share is calculated using net income divided by diluted weighted-average shares. Diluted weighted-average shares include weighted-average shares outstanding plus the dilutive effect of share-based compensation calculated using the treasury stock method, of (in millions of shares): 2023–4.4; 2022–4.8; 2021–5.5. Share-based compensation awards that were not included in diluted weighted-average shares because they would have been antidilutive were (in millions of shares): 2023–2.0; 2022–1.5; 2021–2.2. CASH AND EQUIVALENTS The Company considers short-term, highly liquid investments with an original maturity of 90 days or less to be cash equivalents. As of December 31, 2023, Cash and equivalents was $4.6 billion of which $4.0 billion consisted of certificates of deposit.

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