On their first day at McDonald's, employees are introduced to founder Ray Kroc’s "three-legged stool" philosophy: the corporation, franchise owner-operators and vendor partners must work together for the business to succeed.
That belief still shapes how McDonald's chooses its partners today. And when it comes to payments, the fast food giant has entrusted Adyen as one of its key partners for the past five-plus years.
Operating across more than 60 global markets with thousands of franchisees, McDonald's needed a payments partner that could perform at enterprise scale, while understanding the complexities of their business model and the nuances of local markets.
Across the partnership, Adyen has delivered four critical capabilities that help McDonald’s run payments at scale, and keep the three-legged stool standing strong.
Technology built for scale
McDonald’s values partners that provide end-to-end solutions built in-house, rather than stitching together tools and systems. Said Robert Lorenzini, director of product management – payments – product & design at McDonald’s, describes Adyen as “the Apple of the payments industry,” citing how the company’s end-to-end tech stack helps optimize performance and eliminate inefficiencies.
When payment technology is built as one coherent platform, innovation moves faster. For McDonald’s, that means rolling out new capabilities, improving performance and removing inefficiencies, without added operational complexity.
"You get the benefits of that coherent system," Lorenzini said. "So we can move fast, and we can build solutions together. That’s been really powerful."
Understanding the franchise ecosystem
Payment success at McDonald’s doesn’t stop at headquarters. Franchise owner-operators need to run profitable businesses, while customers expect simple, consistent ways to order and pay—across drive-thru, kiosk and mobile apps.
"Adyen's ability to engage down to the market and the operator level has been really impressive," Lorenzini said. "They’re a partner helping me solve problems, not something else I have to manage."
Adaptability and problem solving
Flexibility matters when scale meets complexity. McDonald's identified debit routing as a significant cost-saving opportunity for franchisees, but volume commitments and contractual structures required a tailored approach.
Adyen worked closely with the McDonald’s team to design a solution that fit those requirements.
"Adyen leaned in to understand our needs, and designed something that worked well for us,” Lorenzini said. “That enabled us to lower costs for our operators, which is a huge win.”
That same adaptability supports McDonald’s broader evolution. As digital ordering expands across channels, Adyen continues to tailor solutions to McDonald’s operational needs, without sacrificing the benefits of a unified platform.
A long-term strategic view
McDonald's product roadmaps often stretch five to eight years ahead. Supporting that long-term strategic view requires partners who think beyond today’s requirements.
McDonald's and Adyen maintain a structured cadence, with two sessions focused on execution and one dedicated to long-term strategy.
This ensures progress on current priorities while planning for what’s next.
"We really carve out time for that strategy aspect," Lorenzini said. “And I just can't wait for the future. We're gonna do some awesome things together."
The power of the right partnership
Ray Kroc's three-legged stool remains central to McDonald’s success. Strong partnerships are not optional; they’re foundational.
By delivering technology built for scale, deep franchise understanding, tailored solutions and long-term strategic support, Adyen is able to meet McDonald’s unique payment needs and help power global growth. It’s a demonstration of how the right payment partner can make all the difference.
Learn more about how Adyen supports enterprise businesses at adyen.com.
