Accommodation & Food Services · Chicago, IL

McDonald's

According to OSHA enforcement records (2010–2026), McDonald's has a relatively clean safety record: 0 violations across 1 inspections. See the full breakdown below.

Compiled by Plainworker · September 6, 2026

$0
OSHA penalties: 0
Violations cited: 1
OSHA inspections: $10,472
Back wages owed

McDonald's in Chicago, IL has been the subject of 1 OSHA workplace inspections and 0 citations since 2010, according to enforcement records from the U.S. Department of Labor. Separately, the Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division found $10,472 in back wages owed to 71 affected workers. All enforcement data below is sourced from the DOL public enforcement databases at data.dol.gov.

The record in one line

OSHA has inspected McDonald's once. None of these inspections resulted in a citation. Against the Accommodation & Food Services industry average of 0 inspections per employer, this runs well above peers (4.4x the sector average) on inspection frequency. The Department of Labor also found wage violations, with $10,472 in back wages owed to 71 affected workers. For comparison, Main Street Pub in Glen Ellyn, IL is another accommodation & food services employer with 0 OSHA inspections on record and $0 in current penalties.

0.0
violations per inspection: 0.0%
of violations were serious: $10,472
in back wages recovered

Compliance score

B 89/100

A OSHA safety compliance: 0 violations across 1 OSHA inspection (0.0 per inspection), vs. national p10 0.0 (best) / p90 5.5 (worst) among 145,626 inspected employers.
B Wage & hour compliance: $10K in back wages owed across 4 WHD cases ($3K per case), vs. national p10 $2K (best) / p90 $58K (worst) among 91,622 employers with a WHD case on file.

Open my watchlist

Does more inspection scrutiny mean more findings?

Each dot is one of 21 Accommodation & Food Services employers with an OSHA inspection on record, placed by inspections and violations cited. The highlighted dot is McDonald's.

McDonald's has 1 OSHA inspection on record and 0 violations cited. The crosshair marks the median among these Accommodation & Food Services peers. Across this sector's tracked employers, more inspections is moderately associated with more violations found -- not a coincidence, but not a guarantee either.

McDonald's in the Accommodation & Food Services enforcement ledger

On wage-and-hour enforcement alone, McDonald's ranks #9,458 among 22,851 Accommodation & Food Services employers with WHD recoveries ($10,472). McDonald's carries no OSHA penalty in this extract but ranks #9,458 of 22,851 Accommodation & Food Services employers on WHD back wages ($10,472).

Combined federal exposure here: $0 OSHA penalties plus $10,472 WHD back wages (100.0% of the combined total is wage recovery).

How McDonald's Compares

1 OSHA inspection on record for McDonald's in Chicago, IL, zero violations cited, a cleaner record than the Accommodation & Food Services sector average of 0.5 violations per employer.

No OSHA penalty has been assessed against McDonald's to date. The Accommodation & Food Services sector average runs $670 per employer.

Total Inspections

First Inspection

2013-07-08

Last Inspection

2013-07-08

Inspection Span

1 yr

Violations / Inspection

0.0

Avg Penalty / Inspection

Industry Avg / Inspection

$2,941

What this shows 1 inspection over 1 year, averaging 0.0 violations per visit. That's $0 per inspection vs. the Accommodation & Food Services average of $2,941.

Wage & Hour Findings

WHD Cases

Back Wages Owed

$10,472

Employees Affected

WHD Violations

Avg Back Wages per Employee

$147

Avg Back Wages per CaseBelow average

$2,618

The Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division found that McDonald's owed $10,472 in back wages to 71 employees across 4 cases and 73 violations. WHD enforces federal labor laws including the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), covering minimum wage, overtime pay, and child labor standards.

Industry Safety Context: Accommodation & Food Services

How McDonald's compares to the Accommodation & Food Services sector, which has 25,016 employers tracked by PlainWorker.

Metric	McDonald's	Industry Avg
Inspections	1	0.2
Violations	0	0.5
Total Penalty	$0	$670
Avg Penalty per Inspection	$0	$2,941

View all 25,016 employers in Accommodation & Food Services →

Nationwide Accommodation & Food Services peers with similar penalties or inspection counts

Two OSHA-record peer sets for McDonald's, both outside IL so the neighborhoods are not geographic containment.

Similar OSHA inspection count

Same-sector employers with a comparable inspection history outside this state (1 inspections here).

New Fortune House 1 insp. El Centro, CA Round Table Pizza 1 insp. Vancouver, WA Motel 6 1 insp. Barstow, CA El Rodeo Mexican Restaurant 1 insp. Moses Lake, WA

Nearby & Similar Employers in Accommodation & Food Services

Showing 5 of 25015 other employers tracked in this sector.

PCH Hotels and Resorts, INC.

Hoover, AL

2 inspections $10,466

Niko's Grill & Pub

Lake Havasu City, AZ

0 inspections $0

Denny's (Flying J Truck Stop)

Orange, TX

0 inspections $0

Compare McDonald's vs Main Street Pub side-by-side →

What to do with this record

Use McDonald's's enforcement history as one data point, not the whole picture.

A single employer's record can look unusual in isolation. Compare McDonald's against Main Street Pub, a similarly-sized employer in the same sector, before drawing conclusions. Compare side-by-side
See whether McDonald's's inspection and penalty record is typical for Accommodation & Food Services or an outlier against the sector's own average. View the Accommodation & Food Services sector
McDonald's also carries $10,472 in Wage and Hour Division back-wages, a separate enforcement track from OSHA safety violations. How wage-theft enforcement works

Figures reflect closed OSHA and WHD federal enforcement actions on record (2010–2026); not every workplace issue results in an inspection or investigation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is McDonald's safe to work at? ▼

Based on OSHA records, McDonald's's workplace safety record is relatively clean, with fewer violations than typical. The employer has 0 violations across 1 inspections. Compared to Accommodation & Food Services industry peers, this is below average for penalties. Review the full inspection history below for details.

How many OSHA violations does McDonald's have? ▼

McDonald's has 0 OSHA violations on record, including 0 serious, 0 willful, and 0 repeat violations. The total current penalty amount is $0.

How many OSHA inspections has McDonald's had? ▼

McDonald's has had 1 OSHA inspections, with the first recorded on 2013-07-08 and the most recent on 2013-07-08. This averages 0.0 violations per inspection.

What is the total penalty amount for McDonald's? ▼

McDonald's has been assessed $0 in current OSHA penalties. Additionally, $10,472 in back wages were owed through WHD enforcement.

Has McDonald's been cited for wage theft? ▼

Yes. The Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division has recorded 4 enforcement cases against McDonald's, resulting in $10,472 in back wages owed to 71 affected workers. These cases involve violations of federal labor laws including minimum wage, overtime, and other worker protections.

What industry does McDonald's operate in? ▼

McDonald's operates in the Accommodation & Food Services sector (NAICS code 722513). This industry has 25,016 employers tracked by PlainWorker, with 5,697 total OSHA inspections and $16.76M in cumulative penalties.

What should I do if McDonald's owes me wages? ▼

If you believe McDonald's owes you wages, you can file a complaint with the Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division at dol.gov/agencies/whd/contact/complaints or by calling 1-866-487-9243. WHD investigates violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act including unpaid minimum wage, overtime, and unauthorized deductions. The DOL has previously found $10,472 in back wages owed by this employer across 4 cases.

How does McDonald's's safety record compare to industry average? ▼

McDonald's's total OSHA penalty of $0 is below the Accommodation & Food Services industry average of $670 per employer. The employer has 1 inspections compared to the industry average of 0.2 per employer. For a direct comparison, Main Street Pub in Glen Ellyn, IL is a similar accommodation & food services employer with $0 in current penalties.

Data Sources & Methodology ▼

Data as of 2026. Source: U.S. Department of Labor (OSHA, WHD).

Source: OSHA Enforcement Data

Inspection and violation records from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), U.S. Department of Labor, covering the period 2010–2026. Includes inspection dates, violation types (serious, willful, repeat, other-than-serious), and penalty amounts. Penalties shown are current assessed amounts and may differ from original citations due to settlement, contest, or reduction.

Source: Wage and Hour Division (WHD)

Compliance actions from the WHD, covering enforcement of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), including minimum wage, overtime, and child labor violations. Back wages represent amounts owed to affected employees as determined by WHD investigations.

Employer Matching

Employers are matched across OSHA and WHD datasets by name, state, and city. Employers included in PlainWorker have 2 or more OSHA inspections or $1,000+ in WHD back wages. Data is updated monthly from data.dol.gov.