The McDonald’s system generated more than $1.4 billion in economic activity in Missouri last year, supporting tens of thousands of jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue — an impact driven in part by St. Louis-area owner-operator Jimmy Williams.
Williams, president and CEO of Estel Foods Inc., owns and operates 26 McDonald’s restaurants across the St. Louis region, including in the Metro East. Fifteen of his locations are in Missouri, including a St. Charles restaurant that opened in December 2024.
According to an economic impact analysis by Oxford Economics, the McDonald’s system in Missouri accounted for more than $1.4 billion in gross domestic product contributions in 2024 and supported more than $377 million in federal, state and local tax revenue. The analysis reflects activity from franchise- and corporate-owned restaurants, suppliers and related industries, as well as workforce and education programs.
“Many of our employees are people of color who are gaining job skills, access to education and pathways to long term careers,” Williams said. “My restaurants are places where members of the McDonald’s family can grow, support their families and invest back into the neighborhoods we call home.”
There are nearly 320 McDonald’s restaurants in Missouri, operated by about 45 owner-operators and staffed by more than 16,700 restaurant crew members and managers. Roughly 140 of those restaurants are in the greater St. Louis metropolitan area, where owner-operators and restaurant teams are embedded in the communities they serve.
Beyond restaurant operations, Williams is active in philanthropy and civic leadership. He was named the St. Louis American’s 2024 Person of the Year and serves on several nonprofit and civic boards, including the Ronald McDonald House, Lessie Bates Neighborhood House, One Hundred Black Men of Metropolitan St. Louis, Matthew Dickey Boys and Girls Club and the Herbert Hoover Boys and Girls Club.
Statewide, McDonald’s owner-operators, including Williams, directly created nearly 16,800 restaurant crew, management and field office jobs. The system’s activity also supported more than 6,600 additional jobs through supply-chain operations and household spending, bringing the total number of jobs supported directly and indirectly in Missouri to more than 23,400.
McDonald’s also has expanded educational pathways through its Archways to Opportunity program, which provides education and career advising for restaurant employees. In Missouri, the program awarded more than $547,000 in tuition assistance in 2024 to 290 employees.
In addition, McDonald’s and its owner-operators continued their support of Ronald McDonald House programs across Missouri, raising more than $4.9 million through fundraising initiatives. In 2024 alone, Ronald McDonald House chapters and programs in the state provided support to more than 22,000 families while children received medical care.