Yang-led Golden Arches Development Corp. (GADC), or McDonald’s Philippines, plans to invest at least ₱3 billion to ₱5 billion this year to open more than 65 stores, with the aim of reaching 1,000 stores in two years.
This comes as GADC Founder and Chairman George T. Yang said they will embark on an accelerated growth path for the quick-service restaurant (QSR) giant after McDonald’s Corp. of the United States (US) granted Yang and his son, GADC President and CEO Kenneth S. Yang, a fresh 20-year franchise for the Philippines.
“This 2025, We will be opening our 800th store,” said the younger Yang. McDonald’s opened 65 stores last year and ended 2024 with a network of 792 stores nationwide.
In a media interview, GADC’s CEO said, “We will continue to build new restaurants all over the Philippines. We grow through our company-owned stores as well as through our franchise restaurants.”
“For this year, most likely, we should grow about the same as what we did last year, which is 65 stores. Hopefully we will surpass it,” said Yang.
Since 65 new stores in a year was an all-time high for the company, he said, “This 2025, we aim to break our record new store openings.”
While expansion will be nationwide, Yang said most of the new stores will be outside the National Capital Region (NCR)—in cities in southern and northern Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
“We see our growth coming from areas outside of NCR that have rapidly been developing. We’re excited to open more stores and bring McDonald’s closer to more Filipinos,” Yang said.
He noted that, “The country is growing and there is progress in these areas so that is where we will be going.”
He said that they will likely maintain the current ratio of 55 percent company-owned stores and 45 percent franchise outlets.
Yang said they spent around ₱3 billion to ₱5 billion for the renovation of older restaurants and construction of new ones, and capital expenditures (capex) this year should at least be equal or higher.
In 2005, McDonald’s Philippines became a 100-percent Filipino-owned company with George and Kenneth Yang as its majority owners and tycoon Andrew Tan’s Alliance Global Group Inc. as its investment partner.
This strategic move paved the way for the company to look towards a digitally led future, underpinned by growing demand for seamless omni-channel customer experience.
The company extended its reach by growing its delivery business through digital initiatives. It was the first QSR to have an online delivery channel in 2009 and the first to launch a delivery app in 2014.
In 2024, McDelivery contributed 19 percent to total sales.