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Organization and nature of business
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]  
Organization and nature of business Organization and nature of business
Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc. (the “Company”) is a company limited by shares incorporated and existing under the laws of the British Virgin Islands. The Company’s fiscal year ends on the last day of December. The Company has through its wholly-owned company Arcos Dorados Group B.V., a 100% equity interest in Arcos Dorados B.V. (“ADBV”).

On August 3, 2007 the Company, indirectly through its wholly-owned subsidiary ADBV, entered into a Stock Purchase Agreement and Master Franchise Agreements (“MFAs”) with McDonald’s Corporation pursuant to which the Company completed the acquisition of the McDonald’s business in Latin America and the Caribbean (“LatAm business”). See Note 4 for details. Prior to this acquisition, the Company did not carry out operations. The Company’s rights to operate and franchise McDonald’s-branded restaurants in the Territories and therefore the ability to conduct the business, derive exclusively from the rights granted by McDonald’s Corporation in the MFAs through 2027. The initial term of the MFA for French Guiana, Guadeloupe and Martinique was ten years through August 2, 2017 with an option to extend the agreement for these territories for an additional period of ten years, through August 2, 2027. On July 20, 2016, the Company has exercised its option to extend the MFA for these three territories.

The Company, through ADBV’s wholly-owned and majority owned subsidiaries, operates and franchises McDonald’s restaurants in the food service industry. The Company has operations in twenty territories as follows: Argentina, Aruba, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Curaçao, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, the U.S. Virgin Islands of St. Croix and St. Thomas (USVI) and Venezuela. All restaurants are operated either by the Company’s subsidiaries or by independent entrepreneurs under the terms of sub-franchisee agreements (franchisees).