McDonald’s long-standing operating motto was “Quality, Service, Cleanliness, and Value.”
The four-part phrase summarized the standards that McDonald’s expected restaurants to deliver. Quality referred to food and ingredients, service to the customer experience, cleanliness to the restaurant environment, and value to the relationship between price and what customers received.
The motto became closely associated with McDonald’s franchise culture and helped turn operational consistency into a branding promise. It was not simply an advertising slogan; it described the practical standards used to train operators and evaluate restaurants.
The phrase is sometimes shortened to QSC&V, with the initials standing for the four words. It should not be confused with later consumer-facing campaigns such as “You Deserve a Break Today” or “I’m Lovin’ It.” Those campaigns promoted the brand to the public, while QSC&V described the principles behind how McDonald’s restaurants were expected to operate.