McDonald’s is officially headed to Chicago’s West Loop.
The burger chain announced Monday that it will be moving its corporate headquarters by spring 2018 from its current Oak Brook campus to the space Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Studios formally occupied in downtown Chicago.
The move to 1045 W. Randolph Street marks a return to Chicago, where the company was headquartered from 1955 to 1971. In addition, the new HQ space will also house Hamburger University, a state-of-the-art learning center for the company’s future leaders and employees.
According to McDonald’s President and CEO, Steve Easterbrook, this is another significant step in the company’s journey to build a better McDonald’s.
“McDonald’s looks forward to returning to the Chicago community where we started and to building together the next chapter of success in the history of this great company,” Rick Hernandez, Chairman of the Board of McDonald’s, added.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel is enthusiastic about McDonald’s move downtown, welcoming the chain back to “sweet home Chicago.” The company, he said, has identified the keys to success to today’s global market, talent, technology, and access to transportation networks, and they recognize these as Chicago’s strengths.
“I’m proud to welcome them to our dynamic city,” the Mayor added.
