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It was just a few years ago that this all-American franchise received something of a drubbing in the media for its lackluster sales, diminishing reputation of quality and supersizing of the nation's collective waistline. But arguably, it remained a beloved restaurant with the public, and in the past two years, meals at McDonald's have been happier. A renaissance in management and training seems to have taken place, and sales are up, in part because of an expansion of the menu, including healthier fare like the $2.99 fruit-and-walnut salad.
Point being: McDonald's stores are more popular franchises to own than ever, and because of that, getting a franchise--and getting into Hamburger University--is something akin to being accepted to Harvard, Princeton or Yale. Like at an Ivy League college, the tuition is steep (buying a McDonald's franchise generally requires having a minimum of $200,000 nonborrowed money at your disposal), but the reputation for having studied under the masters generally means high returns on the invest ...