McDonald’s seeks sites for expansion in Colombia

Finding well-located sites has become a challenge for McDonald’s expansion in Colombia. Arcos Dorados is inviting proposals from landowners as it prepares to bring in new franchisees, according to a Diligence Diario summary published on 21 September 2026, which attributes the information to Portafolio.

Growth also depends on finding the right location

Colombia is among the Latin American markets where Arcos Dorados sees the greatest growth potential, according to the report. However, that potential faces a practical obstacle: suitable land is difficult to find because of limited supply and high prices.

Property therefore plays a central role in the expansion plans. Alongside people willing to invest in and run restaurants, the company is seeking landowners who can propose sites for new outlets. These are related but distinct needs: providing a location and taking on the management of a restaurant are different contributions.

For those considering Colombia’s franchise market, the news highlights a practical condition for a brand’s growth: an appetite for opening outlets must be matched by available property. In this case, the difficulty of finding well-located sites is explicitly identified as one of the company’s challenges.

Two distinct ways to get involved

The search covers both new franchisees and landowners. Franchisees would invest in and manage new restaurants to McDonald’s standards. Landowners, meanwhile, are being offered the opportunity to put forward sites for future openings.

The available information does not state that every landowner must become a franchisee, or that offering a site means taking responsibility for running the restaurant. Nor does it detail the commercial terms under which these properties might become part of the expansion plan.

This distinction matters when assessing the opportunity. A property proposal is not, in itself, an application to operate a franchise. Before proceeding, prospective participants should clarify which role they wish to take on and what conditions the company sets for each.

The summary does not specify priority cities, plot sizes or acceptable prices. It therefore provides no basis for identifying which properties might be selected or predicting where the next openings will take place.

A change in who invests and operates, not in the master franchise

Until now, Arcos Dorados has driven McDonald’s expansion in Colombia mainly through directly operated restaurants. Under this model, the company both funds and runs the outlets.

Bringing in franchisees is intended to add another route to growth: third parties would provide capital and manage new outlets while meeting the brand’s standards. The change described therefore concerns who finances and operates each restaurant.

Arcos Dorados retains the McDonald’s master franchise in Colombia. The arrival of new operators should not be confused with a change in the holder of that master franchise. Nor does the material reviewed provide any basis for claiming that the company will stop operating restaurants directly.

For those following franchise market developments, this clarification helps distinguish the brand’s overall structure from the role investors might play in individual outlets.

What remains to be clarified before assessing a proposal

The report outlines an intention to expand and the types of participants the company is seeking, but provides no opening timetable, target number of restaurants or investment figures per outlet. It also gives no franchisee selection criteria or process for submitting sites.

These gaps limit the conclusions that can be drawn: the company is seeking new participants and locations, but the reported information is not sufficient to assess the viability of a specific investment or property proposal.

Practical takeaway: anyone with a site to offer or an interest in running a restaurant should first confirm the requirements directly with the company and distinguish a property proposal from an investment as a franchisee before committing resources.