McDonald’s Algorithmic Menu Pricing Antitrust Class Action

A proposed nationwide class action filed in federal court in Chicago alleges that McDonald’s used nonpublic transaction data from approximately 14,000 U.S. restaurants in a centralized machine-learning system that generated pricing recommendations, weakening competition among independently operated franchises and potentially increasing consumer prices. McDonald’s denies that its AI system sets menu prices and says franchisees independently determine prices; the matter is at the filing stage.