McDonald’s was founded in 1955 and and the company now has 22,500 restaurants in 122 countries around the world. Approximately 70 percent of these restaurants are owned and operated as franchises.

1. Check out McDonald’s website and fill out their franchise application online. You must have had successfully owned a business, have managed multiple business units or led multiple departments to be eligible. You must also have $100,000 in cash liquidity.

2. Understand the costs. It will cost you $506,000 to $1,600,100 to open a McDonald’s restaurant along with a $45,000 per year franchise fee. You will be required to pay McDonald’s 12.5% of all royalties along with the yearly franchise fee.

3. Apply for a business loan from your bank or the Small Business Administration if you don’t have access to that amount of money. McDonald’s requires that you must pay 25% cash as a down payment for your store and you may finance the rest for no longer than seven years.

4. Hire approximately 20 employees to help you run the store.

5. Receive training at the headquarters for one week. McDonald’s also gives in-store training that lasts 12-24 months.

6. Receive ongoing support in the way of newsletters, company meetings, security and safety procedures, a grand opening and toll-free help phone line. You’ll receive help through the Internet, purchasing cooperatives and field operators that regularly evaluate the store. You also receive co-op and regional advertising and national media exposure.

Source eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_2073634_open-mcdonalds-franchise.html