Chris Kempczinski, chairman and CEO of McDonald's. | Photo courtesy of McDonald's.
Chris Kempczinski got a raise before he got a new title.
The CEO and now chairman of McDonald’s was paid $19.2 million last year in salary, bonuses and stock, according to federal securities filings.
That was an 8% increase over 2022. But it remained somewhat lower than in 2021, when Kempczinski was paid about $20 million.
The bulk of Kempczinski’s pay package came in the form of stock and option awards, which total about $13 million. He was paid a base salary of $1.4 million and received just over $4 million in incentive compensation—the bonus was about $200,000 less than he received in 2022.
Kempczinski was also paid about $700,000 in “other” compensation, which includes things like life insurance, retirement plan contributions and use of the corporate jet.
McDonald’s is the world’s largest restaurant chain and its CEO is typically among the highest paid executives in the industry. It is also among the most closely watched pay packages on Wall Street, given McDonald’s visibility and labor activists’ push to raise base pay at fast-food restaurants.
Overall, Kempczinski’s total compensation was 1,212 times median employee pay last year, according to the filing.
McDonald’s has enjoyed a strong run of performance coming out of the pandemic, despite a host of concerns such as inflation, the closure of the company’s Russian restaurants and more recently worries about high fast-food prices.
Revenues increased 10% and global same-store sales increased 9% last year, including 8.7% in the U.S.
Kempczinski was named CEO in 2019 following the firing of Steve Easterbrook. He then guided the chain through the pandemic and its aftermath. Same-store sales have increased all but one quarter in the U.S. since he was promoted after leading McDonald’s USA.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a Restaurant Business member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.
Restaurant Business Editor-in-Chief Jonathan Maze is a longtime industry journalist who writes about restaurant finance, mergers and acquisitions and the economy, with a particular focus on quick-service restaurants.
View All Articles by This Author
FAQs
Chris Kempczinski got a raise before he got a new title. The CEO and now chairman of McDonald's was paid $19.2 million last year in salary, bonuses and stock, according to federal securities filings. That was an 8% increase over 2022.
What's McDonald's CEO's salary? ›
NEWS: Sanders and Colleagues Introduce Legislation to Combat Corporate Greed and End Outrageous CEO Pay. Today, a typical McDonald's worker would have to work more than 1,200 years to earn the $17.77 million in compensation that McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski was paid in 2022.
Did McDonald's get a new CEO? ›
Kempczinski took over as president and CEO after Easterbrook was fired for having a non-physical, consensual relationship with an employee. Kempczinski joined McDonald's in 2015 as executive vice president of strategy, business development and innovation.
Who is the current CEO of McDonald's parent company? ›
Chris Kempczinski is Chairman and CEO of McDonald's Corporation.
How much does Chris Kempczinski make a year? ›
The CEO and now chairman of McDonald's was paid $19.2 million last year in salary, bonuses and stock, according to federal securities filings. That was an 8% increase over 2022. But it remained somewhat lower than in 2021, when Kempczinski was paid about $20 million.
Is McDonald's CEO a billionaire? ›
The estimated net worth of Christopher J Kempczinski is at least $7 Million dollars as of 2024-07-19. Christopher J Kempczinski is the President and CEO of McDonald's Corp and owns about 29,031 shares of McDonald's Corp (MCD) stock worth over $7 Million.
How is McDonald's doing financially? ›
McDonald's gross profit for the twelve months ending March 31, 2024 was $14.688B, a 9.03% increase year-over-year. McDonald's annual gross profit for 2023 was $14.563B, a 10.26% increase from 2022. McDonald's annual gross profit for 2022 was $13.207B, a 4.98% increase from 2021.
Who owns most of McDonald's? ›
Largest shareholders include Vanguard Group Inc, BlackRock Inc., State Street Corp, VTSMX - Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund Investor Shares, VFINX - Vanguard 500 Index Fund Investor Shares, Jpmorgan Chase & Co, Bank Of America Corp /de/, Geode Capital Management, Llc, Morgan Stanley, and Wellington Management ...
What company owns McDonald's now? ›
McDonald's is owned by different shareholders, as it's a publicly traded company. According to CNN Business reports, most of this company's owners are institutional investors, who make up 70.14% of the outstanding shares. Individual owners only make up about 0.31%.
Who is the largest McDonald's franchise owner? ›
Arcos Dorados is the world's largest independent McDonald's franchisee, operating the largest quick service restaurant chain in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Get feedback on your pay or offer
The estimated total pay range for a Chief Executive Officer at McDonald's is $77–$143 per hour, which includes base salary and additional pay. The average Chief Executive Officer base salary at McDonald's is $72 per hour.
Do McDonald's managers make 6 figures? ›
Average McDonald's Manager yearly pay in Los Angeles is approximately $50,159, which is 31% below the national average.
How much does the CEO of Walmart make? ›
April 21, 2023 at 5:30 a.m. Walmart Inc.'s chief executive earned $24.1 million in fiscal 2023, according to a government filing. That's about 933 times the median salary of a Walmart employee, the company said in a disclosure required by law.
How much does the CEO of Starbucks make? ›
According to the proxy, “The fiscal year 2023 annual total compensation for our median employee, a part-time barista in the U.S., was $14,209, including salary and Bean Stock awards. “ Laxman Narasimhan, the CEO, made $14,604,531. Narasimhan is new to his job.