The world's biggest restaurant chain rolled out "McDonald's > Next", a growth plan built on four pillars: better food, customer co-creation, redesigned restaurants and friendlier service.

The burger giant is betting on chicken, with McCrispy improvements aimed at Chick-fil-A. Its Refreshers, dirty sodas and energy drinks are aimed at the burgeoning beverage category. McDonald's also wants to co-create with fans, building on viral hits like the Grimace shake. AI is in the mix too, with order-taking bots at five test drive-thrus, even if earlier tries flopped and Taco Bell got trolled into a rethink.

The lesson for operators is to disrupt yourself before someone else does. CEO Chris Kempczinski warned the system there's "no such thing as second place." New store prototypes and tech are heading to franchisees, and the company plans to release further details in September.