McDonald's faces class action: accused of using algorithm to share franchise pricing data and manipulate menu prices

The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois accepted a class action by Michael Thomas against McDonald's USA, LLC and McDonald's Corporation, alleging that since 2019 it aggregated non-public sales and pricing data from franchise locations through an algorithmic pricing tool and set menu prices accordingly, violating Section 1 of the Sherman Act, Illinois antitrust law, and consumer fraud law. The complaint states that about 95% of McDonald's U.S. locations are operated by independent franchisees, who should set their own prices and compete with one another; McDonald's acquired Dynamic Yield in 2019 for $300 million, and according to a Reuters report of September 29, 2026, the pricing tool is operated by Tiger Analytics with McDonald's controlling its rules, including a 30% rule that recommends a price increase only for items already raised at at least 30% of locations. The plaintiff seeks treble damages, injunctive relief, and attorney's fees on behalf of purchasers nationwide and in Illinois.