On December 15, McDonald’s China raised the prices of some of its menu items by 0.5 to 1 yuan (Chinese currency). The price increase includes various burgers, snacks, and meal combos. This news quickly became a hot topic online.
According to a McDonald’s China representative who responded to “The Paper” on December 15, they confirmed the price adjustment, stating, “Starting from December 15, 2025, the prices of some menu items have been increased by 0.5 to 1 yuan. Currently, McDonald’s is running the ‘Ten Yuan Meal Festival’ promotion.” However, the representative did not provide an explanation for the price hike.
In February of this year, McDonald’s China previously raised the prices of some breakfast products and Happy Meal combos. This adjustment affected products like the Pork and Egg McMuffin Meal and the Original Grilled Chicken Leg McMuffin Meal, with prices increasing by 0.5 yuan.
As early as December 27, 2023, McDonald’s China had raised prices on some products, with an average increase of approximately 3%.
Public records indicate that McDonald’s is an American fast-food chain. On October 9, 1990, the first McDonald’s restaurant in China opened at Guanhua Building in Shenzhen. On the opening day, all 500 seats in the restaurant were filled, with long queues extending from the second floor to the first floor. Despite having 400 employees on duty, the demand was so high that an additional 500 employees had to be brought in from Hong Kong to help.
In 2017, McDonald’s sold its business subsidiaries in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau to a consortium led by CITIC Group for a transaction amount of $2.08 billion. The consortium, led by CITIC Group and its subsidiary CITIC Capital, acquired a 52% stake. Due to restrictions from the U.S. side on CITIC Capital’s acquisition of McDonald’s, the company continued to operate under its original name. McDonald’s China changed its name to Golden Arches (China) Limited in 2017.
In August of this year, Zhang Jiayin, the CEO of McDonald’s China, stated in interviews with several media outlets that the number of McDonald’s restaurants in China has exceeded 7,100.