People have noticed a major shift in McDonald's restaurants

While the modern world and all its technological wonders have made life easier, faster, and in some ways cheaper than what you’d have expected 20 years ago, not everyone has been a winner.

Online shopping has seen a dramatic decline in the prominence of brick-and-mortar establishments. A UK high street might have as many vacant storefronts with ‘to let’ signs outside as it does active shops, and the story isn’t often much cheerier in the US.

Once-thriving shopping malls can be pretty desolate places in 2025 (Vostok/Getty Images)

The shopping mall, once the go-to hangout spot of every bored teen and casual shopper, but they’re now in the midst of dying out as they’re outcompeted by online shopping and other changes in consumer habits.

After all, when was the last time you arranged a day out with friends at your local mall? Until relatively recently, it was very much the norm. Nowadays, especially post-pandemic, not so much.

That doesn’t mean they’re completely vacant, of course, and the people who still visit are more aware of their decline than anyone else. McDonald’s fans, such as one who shared a rare McDonald’s franchise still running inside a US mall, have been asking why even that American institution is abandoning these old bastions of commerce.

“Wonder why most malls don’t have a McDonald’s anymore,” said the original post, captioning the image of an active mall McDonald’s, and the comments were soon awash with explanations-cum-theories about their dwindling numbers.

“Because McDonald’s is more of a real estate company now,” suggested one user. They franchise their name out on such places in malls and shopping centres. Not many people want the franchise. I think the money is in the drive thrus maybe...”

To that, someone quipped: “With most malls empty now. Installing a drive thru shouldn't be hard.”

“I don't think you can even get a license anymore to put them in strip malls,” suggested another. “You need to have a freestanding structure that can accommodate a drive thru if you want to open one in the US. It also has to have an appropriate amount of land for parking.”

Drive-thrus seem to be the most common sticking point, beside the lack of footfall in many US malls anyway.

“This. I often walk to my local McDonald’s to eat in a nearly empty dining room while cars wrap around the store,” said another user. “Even the people who walk inside are mostly gig drivers picking up and yelling at the crew if the order isn’t ready. No doubt a lot of franchisees would love to close their dining rooms permanently.”

Steep rents have also been suggested as a key reason for the decline: “I know for a fact (from a former employee whom I know), that the McDonald’s in my local mall closed due to the rising price of rent.”

To maximise sales, drive-thrus are essential to franchisees (StevenStarr73/Getty Images)

However, the situation is different in some of McDonald’s operating territories outside the US.

“If you go to McDonald's in China, they are very often located inside shopping centres,” shared another comment. “It might have something to do with the different way the brand is perceived locally (or the feasibility of the real estate-focused business model there).”

FOODBible has approached McDonald’s for comment.