{
  "slug": "mcdonalds",
  "month": "2026-04",
  "status": "current",
  "themes": {
    "Inclusion": {
      "rank": 2,
      "score": 100
    },
    "Innovation": {
      "rank": 3,
      "score": 100
    },
    "Leadership": {
      "rank": 7,
      "score": 50
    },
    "Social Impact": {
      "rank": 5,
      "score": 50
    },
    "Security & Perks": {
      "rank": 5,
      "score": 50
    },
    "Mission & Purpose": {
      "rank": 5,
      "score": 50
    },
    "Application Process": {
      "rank": 1,
      "score": 100
    },
    "Onboarding Experience": {
      "rank": 4,
      "score": 50
    },
    "Rewards & Recognition": {
      "rank": 7,
      "score": 50
    },
    "Candidate Communication": {
      "rank": 6,
      "score": 50
    }
  },
  "company": "McDonald's",
  "country": "United States",
  "history": [
    {
      "rank": 8,
      "month": "2026-01",
      "visibilityScore": 35.5
    },
    {
      "rank": 3,
      "month": "2026-02",
      "visibilityScore": 63
    },
    {
      "rank": 4,
      "month": "2026-03",
      "visibilityScore": 100
    },
    {
      "rank": 7,
      "month": "2026-04",
      "visibilityScore": 41.9
    }
  ],
  "summary": "McDonald's is tracked across AI employer visibility rankings in the Quick Service Restaurants sector. When candidates research the company through AI, it surfaces consistently in employer-related queries — ranking #7 out of 28 Quick Service Restaurants companies in the PerceptionX index.\n\nAI models most frequently position McDonald's alongside Chick-fil-a, Chipotle Mexican Grill, and In-n-out Burger when discussing Quick Service Restaurants employers.\n\nThe company shows strongest employer visibility in Application Process, Candidate Communication and Inclusion. Visibility gaps exist in Candidate Feedback, Career Opportunities and Company Culture, where competitors tend to dominate the AI narrative.\n\nMcDonald's's Visibility Score has risen from 35.5 to 41.9 across its last 4 measurements (since January 2026), climbing 1 place in the Quick Service Restaurants rankings. Over that period it has moved ahead of Chipotle and Panera Bread. Chipotle Mexican Grill and In-n-out Burger have moved ahead of it. It now trails Raising Cane's by 6.5 points.\n\nThis analysis is based on AI-generated responses from ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Perplexity. Data is refreshed regularly to reflect changes in AI employer perception.",
  "website": "mcdonalds.com",
  "industry": "Quick Service Restaurants",
  "profileUrl": "https://employers.perceptionx.ai/company/mcdonalds",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-09-20",
  "modelScores": {
    "chatgpt": 60,
    "googleAi": 25,
    "perplexity": 0
  },
  "overallRank": 143,
  "industryRank": 7,
  "mentionCount": 13,
  "topCompetitors": [
    {
      "rank": 1,
      "slug": "chick-fil-a",
      "company": "Chick-fil-a",
      "visibilityScore": 80.6
    },
    {
      "rank": 2,
      "slug": "chipotle-mexican-grill",
      "company": "Chipotle Mexican Grill",
      "visibilityScore": 74.2
    },
    {
      "rank": 3,
      "slug": "in-n-out-burger",
      "company": "In-n-out Burger",
      "visibilityScore": 61.3
    },
    {
      "rank": 4,
      "slug": "starbucks",
      "company": "Starbucks",
      "visibilityScore": 58.1
    },
    {
      "rank": 5,
      "slug": "yum-brands",
      "company": "Yum! Brands",
      "visibilityScore": 54.8
    }
  ],
  "otherIndustries": [
    {
      "industry": "Hospitality",
      "industryRank": 62,
      "visibilityScore": 2.6
    }
  ],
  "visibilityScore": 41.9,
  "totalCompaniesInCountry": 1451,
  "totalCompaniesInIndustry": 28,
  "methodology": {
    "version": "1.0",
    "url": "https://employers.perceptionx.ai/api-docs/#methodology",
    "description": "Visibility Score (0-100) is the share of AI model × candidate-experience-theme combinations within an industry and country where the company was mentioned in AI-generated answers to candidate-style questions. Ranks are computed per industry and country; ties break by mention count, then company name. Responses from other assistants (e.g. Claude, DeepSeek) are collected for research but not included in index scoring.",
    "models": [
      "ChatGPT",
      "Google Gemini",
      "Perplexity"
    ]
  }
}