McDonald’s is spending $8.5 billion on restaurant refreshes and bringing diners back

McDonald’s is spending big to bring customers back to its restaurants.

The fast-food chain plans to devote $8.5 billion over the next 10 years to improvements to its restaurants, it said on Wednesday. The plan, called McDonald’s Next, includes adding more technology to stores, new training for employees, and increasing the burger chain’s market share of chicken menu items and beverages.

The goal is “to be the first choice for more customers, more often – while making our restaurants stronger and easier to run,” McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski said .

“We are confident that executing across the key components of NEXT will unlock stronger…