The Company views itself primarily as a franchisor, with the vast majority of McDonald’s restaurants (approximately 80%) owned and operated by independent franchisees. Franchising enables an individual to own a restaurant business and maintain control over personnel, purchasing, marketing and pricing decisions, while also benefiting from the strength of McDonald’s global brand, operating system and financial resources. One of the strengths of this model is that the expertise gained from operating Company-owned restaurants allows McDonald’s to improve the operations and success of all restaurants while innovations from franchisees can be tested and, when viable, efficiently implemented across relevant restaurants.