McDonald’s is seeking to revive customer traffic and its stock through NEXT, a multiyear strategy combining restaurant remodels, menu improvements, precision marketing and artificial intelligence tools for ordering and supply-chain operations. The company plans to provide approximately $8.5 billion in franchisee assistance through 2036, including $5 billion by the end of this decade and $1.5 billion to $2 billion in direct capital support. Shares fell nearly 5% after the Investor Day presentation, touched $234.03 and continued lower into Friday, leaving them down about 23% year to date and near levels last seen in early 2021. US comparable sales declined in July and August, and management expects third-quarter results to remain slightly negative despite sequential improvement in September. Analysts cut price targets over concerns about the scale and timing of the investment, although most retained positive long-term ratings. McDonald’s expects the program to lift restaurant-level margins by 2.5 percentage points and support an adjusted operating margin in the low-to-mid-50% range by decade’s end, compared with 47% in the first six months of 2026. Investors remain focused on whether higher spending can improve value, food quality and customer traffic quickly enough to offset near-term pressure on franchisee and corporate economics.