McDonald’s to Move Headquarters to Downtown Chicago

While Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel celebrated the company’s choice to relocate to the city, an administration spokesman stated that the City Hall did not provided any specific incentives to McDonald’s to do so.

McDonald’s Corp. will move its headquarters to downtown Chicago, part of CEO Steve Easterbrook’s plan to attract new and younger employees.

According to Crain’s Chicago, McDonald’s will likely lease over 300,000 square feet at the building, which formerly served as Oprah Winfrey‘s Harpo Studios. “It is an important investment in our people as we look to create a start-of-the-art company headquarters they can use to move our business forward for many years to come”. The new location in West Loop is – perhaps fittingly – the home of the Windy City’s former stockyards and renowned meatpacking district.

McDonald’s is moving back to Chicago and taking over the old home of “The Oprah Winfrey Show”.

The new Chicago headquarters will also house a “Hamburger University” location, which provides training to numerous company’s employees and franchise owners.

The site is owned by developer Sterling Bay, which purchased the property from Harpo Studios in 2014 for $30.5million. Other companies have announced moves from the suburbs to cities, including Kraft Heinz and General Electric.

The move will put McDonald’s in the fast-growing West Loop neighborhood.

Easterbrook said in a May shareholder meeting that the company was “committed to leaving no stone unturned” as it continued to upgrade the McDonald’s brand.

‘Our current space in Oak Brook has served us well for many years, ‘ said spokeswoman Becca Hary. While design plans are still in the early stages, the new office will help the company operate more efficiently, she said.