Q: I read where McDonald’s is closing some stores. How much does it cost to get a McDonald’s franchise? How many McDonald’s are there overseas?
—Eddie Webster, Douglasville
A: McDonald's has closed, or is planning to close, at least 700 of its 36,000-plus locations worldwide this year, the first time since 1970 that the world's largest fast-food hamburger chain will close more stores than open.
It plans to open about 300 stores this year, the Associated Press reported earlier this month.
McDonald’s generally requires a person (no partnerships or investors) to have a “minimum of $750,000 of non-borrowed personal resources” to be considered for a franchise,” the corporation states at aboutmcdonalds.com.
At least 40 percent of that must be in the form of a down payment if it’s a new restaurant and 25 percent if it’s taking over an existing restaurant.
Startup costs could go into the millions, depending on the size of the restaurant, the location, equipment, and decor and landscaping choices, businessinsider.com reported in November.
There are about 14,000 McDonald’s locations in the U.S. and about 22,000 in more than 100 countries.
Q: My wife and I wanted to find out more about the missing woman who never boarded her flight from Atlanta to Albuquerque. The news never said anything else about it. Was she located?
—Marcus Turner, Mableton
A: Anna Maria Giannini was found at Atlanta Medical Center on June 5.
She had been missing since May 31, when she didn’t arrive in Albuquerque after flying from Milan, Italy, to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
Giannini was expected to make a connecting flight from Atlanta to Albuquerque, but didn’t board that flight.
Andy Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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