7-Eleven vs McDonald's: units, growth & AI adoption
McDonald's leads on AI adoption (87/100 vs 74/100), while 7-Eleven is the larger system by unit count (85,000+ vs 40,275+). 7-Eleven is growing faster year-over-year (+5.1%). Data verified Q3 2026.
| Metric | 7-Eleven | McDonald's |
|---|---|---|
| Sector | Convenience Retail | QSR / Fast Food |
| Headquarters | Japan | USA |
| Units (approx.) | 85,000+ ◂ | 40,275+ |
| Unit growth YoY | +5.1% ◂ | +3.2% |
| AI Adoption Score | 74/100 | 87/100 ◂ |
| Operations AI | 80 | 92 ◂ |
| Marketing AI | 68 | 85 ◂ |
| Training AI | 65 | 82 ◂ |
| Data infrastructure | 82 | 89 ◂ |
| Region | APAC | North America |
| Index rank | #9 | #1 ◂ |
7-Eleven
The world's largest franchise system by unit count uses AI-driven demand forecasting and automated ordering across its Japanese and Southeast Asian networks.
FULL 7-ELEVEN PROFILE →McDonald's
The largest restaurant franchise by revenue runs one of the most instrumented AI stacks in franchising: dynamic drive-thru ordering, predictive kitchen systems, and the Founder's platform for unit-level analytics.
FULL MCDONALD'S PROFILE →Franchise Intelligence Index
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SOURCE: FRANCHISEPULSE FRANCHISE INTELLIGENCE INDEX, Q3 2026 · FREE TO CITE WITH ATTRIBUTION + LINK