McDonald's vs Starbucks: headquarters, benefits and pay compared

McDonald's is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois; Starbucks in Seattle, Washington. McDonald's's headquarters was designed by Gensler. Starbucks has more employees (≈381,000 vs ≈150,000). McDonald's has a higher median pay ($19,020 vs $17,279).

McDonald's vs Starbucks in numbers

McDonald's		Starbucks
490K sq ft	HQ size	≈1.3M sq ft
≈150,000	Employees	≈381,000
—	Turnover	—
$19,020	Median pay	$17,279
≈$0.2M	Revenue per employee	≈$0.1M

From each company's annual report or proxy statement; fiscal years differ — see each profile. — = not published. Revenue per employee is calculated by eciffo.

McDonald'sChicago, Illinois

A Happy Meal toy wall, test kitchens, a drive-thru simulator and Hamburger University — all inside one nine-story building in Chicago's West Loop.

14 office photos · 4 office tour videos · See the photos →

Headquarters

Architect of record: Gensler
Interiors: IA Interior Architects, Studio O+A
Developer: Sterling Bay
General contractors: McHugh, ECI Executive Construction
Building: 737,000 sq ft (≈ 68,470 m²), 9 floors
McDonald's space: 490,000 sq ft (≈ 45,522 m²)
Speedee Labs (R&D): 23,000 sq ft (≈ 2,137 m²)
Opened: June 4, 2018

Benefits

Sabbatical8 weeksPaid sabbatical for employees who have worked for the company for 10 years.
Parental leavePaidOffered to corporate staff and company restaurant staff working a certain number of hours or based on position.
Education25% offEducational assistance, plus a 25% DePaul tuition discount on its online MBA for eligible corporate staff.
VolunteeringPaidPaid volunteer time off.
DisabilityShort + longPaid short-term and long-term disability leave, plus life insurance.

Themes

#Famous architects #Office tour videos #Office cafés #Paid sabbaticals

Full McDonald's profile →Open jobs ↗

StarbucksSeattle, Washington

Starbucks runs the company from a 1912 Sears catalog warehouse in SoDo — with a gym, a daycare and dry cleaning under the same roof.

8 office photos · 3 office tour videos · See the photos →

Headquarters

Built: 1912, by Union Pacific for Sears, Roebuck & Co.
Original architect: George C. Nimmons (Wikipedia)
Whole building: 2,100,000+ sq ft (≈ 195,096 m²) on 17 acres (≈ 6.9 ha)
Starbucks offices in Seattle: 1,294,000 sq ft (≈ 120,217 m²)
Big addition: 800,000 sq ft in 1914 — then the largest structure west of Chicago
Later additions: 1945, 1956, 1965, 1974, 2001
Seismic upgrade: Completed 2003
Tryer Center: 20,000 sq ft (≈ 1,858 m²) innovation lab, opened 2018

Benefits

Bean StockEquityCompany stock (RSUs) for eligible full- and part-time partners, granted every fall. More than 230,000 partners received a grant in FY2025.
College Achievement Plan100% tuitionA first-time online bachelor's degree at Arizona State University, 140+ degrees, for partners averaging 20+ hours a week.
Parental leave18 weeksFully paid for birth parents; up to 12 weeks for non-birth parents (20+ hours a week).
Mental health20 sessionsFree therapy or coaching sessions a year for you and each eligible family member, plus Headspace.
Family supportBack-up careBack-up care for kids and adults, a Care.com premium membership, and help with adoption, surrogacy and fertility costs.