What Time Does McDonald's Serve Lunch? Hours & Holidays

What time does McDonald's serve lunch?

McDonald's starts lunch at 10:30 a.m. at most U.S. restaurants, because that is when breakfast ends. At stores that run breakfast until 11 a.m., usually on weekends, lunch starts at 11.

The switch happens all at once. Registers change menus right at the cutoff, so if you arrive at 10:35 a.m. hoping for an Egg McMuffin at a 10:30 store, you are usually out of luck. Arrive a little after the cutoff if you want lunch, or a few minutes before it if you want breakfast.

McDonald's says its co-ops and franchisees decide the breakfast window, so the exact lunch start time is a local decision too. A quick look at your store in the McDonald's app settles it. If breakfast items are gone from the menu, lunch is on. Our McDonald's breakfast guide lists what you can still get before the switch.

Does McDonald's serve lunch all day?

Yes. Once breakfast ends, McDonald's serves its regular lunch menu until the store closes, including late at night at stores that stay open.

There is no separate dinner menu, and no afternoon cutoff for burgers, McNuggets, fries, McFlurry desserts or McCafé drinks. The McValue Under $3 lunch items, such as the McDouble, McChicken and small fries, and the $5 and $6 Meal Deals are sold from the end of breakfast through closing at participating stores.

The reverse is not true. McDonald's ended all-day breakfast in 2020, so breakfast sandwiches generally come back only the next morning. A few stores keep McMuffins available later as a local choice, but most do not.

What can you order once McDonald's lunch starts?

Once lunch starts, you can order the full McDonald's menu: burgers, chicken sandwiches, McNuggets, Snack Wraps, fries, Happy Meals, desserts and McCafé drinks.

The lunch hour is also when the best value kicks in. The Under $3 Menu switches from Sausage McMuffins and Hash Browns to the McDouble, McChicken, 4-piece McNuggets, small fries and a medium soft drink, and the $5 McChicken and $6 McDouble Meal Deals become available. Our McDonald's deals page lists them all, and the McNuggets price guide shows what each box size costs.

If part of your group wants breakfast and part wants lunch, a store that switches at 10:30 a.m. cannot serve both at once, so time the order to whichever matters more.

What are McDonald's regular opening hours?

McDonald's has no single national schedule. Each restaurant sets its own opening and closing times, and many open early for breakfast while some drive-thrus run late or overnight.

That variety is the reason you see such different answers online. Some stores run the drive-thru late or overnight, while others close in the evening, and the same store can keep different hours on weekends.

To see what time your McDonald's opens and closes today, use the restaurant locator in the McDonald's app or on mcdonalds.com. It shows the hours for each store. Map apps also list hours, but on holidays the McDonald's app is the safer check.

Opening time also shapes your breakfast window. McDonald's says breakfast runs from the time a restaurant opens until 10:30 or 11 a.m., so a store that opens early gives you more time for a McMuffin before lunch takes over.

Is McDonald's open today?

Each McDonald's sets its own schedule, and holidays can bring shorter hours or a closure. The only reliable check is your store's listing in the McDonald's app.

If the app lets you start a mobile order for pickup at a store, that store is open and taking orders. If it says the restaurant is closed or unavailable, try the next closest one.

Asking whether McDonald's and Wendy's are open today? Both chains leave hours to franchise owners, so check each store separately. Wendy's typically opens around 6:30 a.m. for breakfast, and you can compare menus on our Wendy's menu page.

What are McDonald's holiday hours?

McDonald's holiday hours are set by each franchisee. Most stores open on Thanksgiving, and many open on Christmas Day, but shorter hours and full closures are common, so check your store first.

Thanksgiving 2026 (Thursday, Nov. 26). In 2025, national reports said most McDonald's restaurants were open on Thanksgiving with hours that varied, and McDonald's told customers to confirm with their local restaurant. Expect the same pattern this year. Our fast food Thanksgiving guide compares other chains.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day 2026 (Thursday, Dec. 24, and Friday, Dec. 25). For Christmas 2025, Axios reported that many McDonald's locations were open, but also that opening on Christmas is often a franchise decision and many would be closed. McDonald's recommended checking with your local restaurant. We could not find a national policy for Christmas Eve, so treat it as a store-by-store call.

July 4, New Year's Day and other holidays. We found no company-wide schedule for these days, so hours are up to each store. Confirm in the app before you go.

One more holiday tip: breakfast still ends at the usual time, so a holiday will not stretch the breakfast window.

How do I find a McDonald's that is open near me?

Use the store locator in the McDonald's app or on mcdonalds.com. It lists stores near you along with their hours.

A few habits help when you are hungry late at night or on a holiday:

• Check the drive-thru hours, not just the lobby, when a store lists both.
• Start a mobile order. If the app accepts it, the store is serving.
• Call before a long drive. On Thanksgiving and Christmas, a store can change its hours on short notice.
• Have a backup. Look up a second nearby store before you leave, in case the first is closed.

If no McDonald's near you is open, our McDonald's menu page links to similar burger chains you can check instead.