When you’re on a road trip or driving to work early in the morning, you may have a hankering for some food.
Depending on the time of day, not every sit-down restaurant may be open.
You may not have the time for a sit-down service anyway.
As such, you might consider going to McDonald’s to have breakfast.
However, before you head to your local McDonald’s restaurant, it’s worth determining what time it opens.
What Time Does McDonald’s Open?
McDonald’s opens at either 5 AM or 6 AM depending on the specific location.
Some restaurants are also open 24 hours.
This means that they don’t ever close.
That said, some restaurants might temporarily close the dining room to clean it.
However, the drive-through usually remains open during this time.
Although most McDonald’s restaurants open at either 5 or 6 AM, now and then, they might open later.
As such, it’s always a good idea to double-check with your local McDonald’s restaurant to determine their hours of operation on a specific day.
Why Might McDonald’s Open Later?
McDonald’s restaurants tend to either open at 5 or 6 AM or are open indefinitely if they operate for 24 hours.
Occasionally, however, you might encounter a McDonald’s restaurant that opens later.
For example, you might find a restaurant that opens at 9 or 10 AM on specific days.
This might make you wonder why some McDonald’s restaurants open at 5 AM and others open at later times.
Here are a few reasons why some McDonald’s restaurants might open later than 5 AM.
1. Slow Traffic Area
One of the most common reasons why McDonald’s opens later is if it doesn’t get a lot of early-morning traffic.
There are McDonald’s restaurants everywhere and that isn’t always a good thing.
If some franchises are too close to each other, then some might end up seeing more traffic than others.
In this case, the restaurant that isn’t receiving as much traffic might open later or close early.
It doesn’t make sense for them to be open if they’re not serving enough customers to make it worth their while.
They might actually be losing money by only serving a few customers early in the morning.
As such, some McDonald’s restaurants might not open until later because it helps them save money.
Others might experience traffic problems because of their location.
McDonald’s restaurants that are in rural areas, for example, likely serve a very specific audience.
If the customer base isn’t early risers, then they’re not going to be stopping by McDonald’s at 5 or 6 in the morning.
As such, it doesn’t make sense for the restaurant to be open either.
You might find that some McDonald’s restaurants don’t open until later because they don’t receive enough traffic to do so.
2. Holidays
Holidays are another major reason why some McDonald’s restaurants don’t open until later.
Whether it’s Christmas, July 4th, or another major holiday, McDonald’s restaurants might have slightly different hours.
Most restaurants tend to stay open during the holidays, but some might have slightly modified schedules.
A few McDonald’s restaurants may open later to allow their workers to spend more time with their families.
Others might close early for the same reason.
Busy McDonald’s restaurants tend to open at the same time whether it’s a holiday or not.
As such, it’s a good idea to check with your local McDonald’s on a specific holiday to see if they have modified their operating hours.
For McDonald’s restaurants that are open 24 hours, there’s a very good chance that they’ll remain open 24 hours whether it’s a holiday or not.
3. 24-Hour Operations
A final factor that can determine whether McDonald’s opens late or early is if it’s a 24-hour McDonald’s.
As its name might suggest, a McDonald’s that is open 24 hours never closes.
They remain in operation all day and night.
These are the McDonald’s restaurants that tend to be the busiest.
They bring in a lot of traffic throughout the day and night.
That said, some restaurants will temporarily close the dining room to clean it.
The only time they can clean their dining room is when it’s empty.
If they don’t get a chance to clean because people keep coming into the restaurant, then they’ll close down the dining room to give them a chance to clean it.
The workers usually clean the dining room in the early morning hours.
This ensures that the restaurant looks fresh for the morning customers.
Since they tend to clean the dining room in the morning, it may seem like they’re opening later, but they’re only temporarily shutting down the dining room.
The drive-through is usually still open, so you can still order from them.
You might find that 24-hour McDonald’s restaurants’ dining rooms are occasionally closed, but that’s only because they’re cleaning.
What Are The Typical Hours Of Operation At McDonald’s?
There are typically two hours of operation options at McDonald’s restaurants.
McDonald’s restaurants that are open 24 hours are open all day and night.
They operate without stopping.
As such, if you visit a 24-hour McDonald’s restaurant, then you’re going to receive service no matter what time you show up.
Restaurants that aren’t open 24 hours typically open between 5 and 6 AM and close between 10 and 11 PM.
Some stores might have slightly altered hours.
What Are The Busiest Times Of Day At McDonald’s?
The busiest times of day at McDonald’s are during the lunch and dinner rushes.
For lunch, this is usually between 11 AM and 2 PM.
That’s when most people take their work lunch breaks.
McDonald’s is relatively fast, so it’s appealing to receive a hot and flavorful lunch without wasting too much of their break procuring food.
The dinner rush typically takes place between 5 PM and 7 PM.
It begins when people leave work for the day.
Many businesses close at 5 PM.
This means that people often visit McDonald’s around this time because they are on the way home from work.
The benefit is that they don’t have to cook when they arrive home.
They’re able to relax after a hard day at work.
Some businesses don’t close until 6 PM.
As such, dinner rush hours tend to extend until 7 PM.
Finally, some families get together after the parents arrive home and go to McDonald’s for dinner.
These customers typically make up part of the rush that occurs between 6 and 7 PM.
Certain days are also quite busy at McDonald’s.
Mondays, Fridays, and Saturdays are some of the busiest days at McDonald’s.
Mondays tend to be busy because people are adjusting back to their work schedules after the weekend.
Fridays and Saturdays are busy because people have time off and might choose to eat at McDonald’s while they complete their errands.
If you want to avoid a busy restaurant, then you might want to avoid visiting McDonald’s during those hours and on those days.
Is McDonald’s Open On Holidays?
Yes, McDonald’s is typically open on holidays.
There may be some exceptions at certain restaurants, but by and large, most restaurants remain open on holidays.
That includes important holidays like Christmas and New Year’s Day.
At most, some McDonald’s restaurants might modify when they open or close the restaurant.
In most cases, you can stop by for your favorite burger no matter what day it is.
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