Which was the better investment since 2015, Chipotle or McDonald's?

McDonald's was the better investment. $1,000 invested in McDonald's in 2015 would be worth $3,880 today, compared to $2,395 for Chipotle.

What would $1,000 in Chipotle vs McDonald's be worth today?

$1,000 invested in Chipotle in 2015 would be worth $2,395 today (+139.5%). The same $1,000 in McDonald's would be worth $3,880 (+288.0%).

How do Chipotle and McDonald's compare to the S&P 500 since 2015?

The same $1,000 invested in the S&P 500 in 2015 would be worth $4,521 today (+352.1%). Chipotle returned $2,395 and McDonald's returned $3,880 over the same period.

Chipotle vs McDonald's: $1,000 invested since 2015

CMG vs MCD · Data through 2026-06-01

Investment amount

$1,000 invested in 2015 would be worth

Chipotle

$2,394

+139.4%

McDonald'sWinner

$3,880

+288.0%

The same $1,000 in the S&P 500 would be worth $4,521(+352.1%)

Growth of $1,000

Chipotle vs. McDonald's vs. S&P 500, 2015 to present

Year-by-year comparison

Chipotle vs. McDonald's, 2015 to present

Year	Chipotle	Return	McDonald's	Return	S&P 500
2015	$1,000	-	$1,000	-	$1,000
2016	$638	-36.2%	$1,385	+38.5%	$991
2017	$594	-7.0%	$1,414	+2.1%	$1,189
2018	$458	-22.9%	$2,025	+43.2%	$1,502
2019	$746	+63.1%	$2,169	+7.1%	$1,466
2020	$1,221	+63.7%	$2,659	+22.6%	$1,780
2021	$2,085	+70.8%	$2,647	-0.4%	$2,086
2022	$2,093	+0.4%	$3,380	+27.7%	$2,570
2023	$2,319	+10.8%	$3,561	+5.4%	$2,359
2024	$3,393	+46.3%	$3,987	+11.9%	$2,845
2025	$4,110	+21.1%	$4,027	+1.0%	$3,591
2026	$2,738	-33.4%	$4,497	+11.7%	$4,178

Which came out ahead

Starting in 2015, McDonald's (MCD) was the better of the two against Chipotle (CMG). That $1,000 grew to $3,880 in MCD versus $2,395 in CMG as of 2026-06-01, roughly $1,486 more in the end.

The headline returns line up with the dollar figures. McDonald's returned +288.0% against Chipotle at +139.5%, a gap of about 148.5 percentage points over the 11.6-year window. Compounded, that is about 12.4% a year for MCD against 7.8% for CMG.

Neither holding beat a plain S&P 500 fund over the same span. The index would have grown that $1,000 to about $4,521, compounding near 13.9% a year. Volatility was not shared evenly. Chipotle moved across a far wider band of yearly returns than McDonald's did. All figures use split-adjusted closing prices and exclude dividends, taxes, fees, and inflation, so a real after-tax result would differ.

None of this recommends one holding over the other. It is historical math, and past performance does not guarantee future results.

Other start years

Chipotle vs McDonald's from a different starting point

Since 2010 Since 2020 Since 2023

Individual stock pages

Chipotle since 2015+139.5%McDonald's since 2015+288.0%

Compare any two stocks

Pick any two companies, any start date, any amount. See the winner instantly.

Numbers worth sharing

Occasional data drops when something interesting surfaces. No schedule, just signal.

For informational and educational purposes only. Not financial advice. Past performance does not guarantee future results. All calculations are based on split-adjusted closing prices from Yahoo Finance and do not account for dividends, taxes, or trading fees. See our methodology and full disclaimer.