Which was the better investment since 2020, Chipotle or McDonald's?

Chipotle was the better investment. $1,000 invested in Chipotle in 2020 would be worth $1,961 today, compared to $1,460 for McDonald's.

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

$1,000 invested in Chipotle in 2020 would be worth $1,961 today (+96.1%). The same $1,000 in McDonald's would be worth $1,460 (+46.0%).

How do Chipotle and McDonald's compare to the S&P 500 since 2020?

The same $1,000 invested in the S&P 500 in 2020 would be worth $2,540 today (+154%). Chipotle returned $1,961 and McDonald's returned $1,460 over the same period.

Chipotle vs McDonald's: $1,000 invested since 2020

CMG vs MCD · Data through 2026-06-01

Investment amount

$1,000 invested in 2020 would be worth

ChipotleWinner

$1,961

+96.1%

McDonald's

$1,460

+46.0%

The same $1,000 in the S&P 500 would be worth $2,540(+154%)

Growth of $1,000

Chipotle vs. McDonald's vs. S&P 500, 2020 to present

Year-by-year comparison

Chipotle vs. McDonald's, 2020 to present

Year	Chipotle	Return	McDonald's	Return	S&P 500
2020	$1,000	-	$1,000	-	$1,000
2021	$1,708	+70.8%	$996	-0.4%	$1,172
2022	$1,714	+0.4%	$1,271	+27.7%	$1,444
2023	$1,899	+10.8%	$1,340	+5.4%	$1,325
2024	$2,779	+46.3%	$1,500	+11.9%	$1,598
2025	$3,366	+21.1%	$1,515	+1.0%	$2,018
2026	$2,242	-33.4%	$1,691	+11.7%	$2,347

Which came out ahead

From a $1,000 stake at the start of 2020, Chipotle (CMG) came out ahead of McDonald's (MCD). That $1,000 grew to $1,961 in CMG versus $1,460 in MCD as of 2026-06-01, roughly $502 more in the end.

In total-return terms the order is clear. Chipotle returned +96.1% against McDonald's at +46.0%, a gap of about 50.1 percentage points over the 6.6-year window. Compounded, that is about 10.8% a year for CMG against 5.9% for MCD.

Neither holding beat a plain S&P 500 fund over the same span. The index would have grown that $1,000 to about $2,540, compounding near 15.2% 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.

Treat this as history rather than advice about either company. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

Other start years

Chipotle vs McDonald's from a different starting point

Since 2010 Since 2015 Since 2023

Individual stock pages

Chipotle since 2020+96.1%McDonald's since 2020+46.0%

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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.