Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc.
Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc. is a business company incorporated on 9 December 2010 under the laws of the British Virgin Islands, holding British Virgin Islands company number 1619553 and governed by the BVI Business Companies Act. Its registered office is maintained by Maples Corporate Services (BVI) Limited at Kingston Chambers, P.O. Box 173, Road Town, Tortola, British Virgin Islands, which is the company’s statutory registered office rather than a place from which the business is run. Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc. lists its principal executive offices at Rio Negro 1338, WTC Free Zone, Montevideo, Uruguay, reflecting where the group’s corporate management and administrative functions are based. This operational headquarters in Uruguay is distinct from, and should not be confused with, the company’s legal jurisdiction of incorporation in the British Virgin Islands.
Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc. describes itself in its filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as the world’s largest independent McDonald’s franchisee by number of restaurants. Under long-standing Master Franchise Agreements with McDonald’s Corporation, the company holds the exclusive right to own, operate and grant sub-franchises of McDonald’s-branded restaurants across 21 Latin American and Caribbean countries and territories, including Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Tobago, Aruba, Curacao and French Guiana. As of 30 June 2026, the group operated more than 2,500 restaurants employing over 100,000 people, according to its investor relations disclosures.
Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc. has traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker ARCO since its 2011 initial public offering and files annual reports on Form 20-F with the SEC as a foreign private issuer under CIK 0001508478. Its most recent annual report, covering the fiscal year ended 31 December 2025, was filed on 30 April 2026. In July 2025 the company completed a leadership transition in which Luis Raganato, previously Chief Operating Officer, became Chief Executive Officer, succeeding Marcelo Rabach, while Woods Staton continues to serve as Executive Chairman.
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Shareholders
Shareholders of Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc.
Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc. has a dual-class share structure. Class A common shares trade publicly on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker ARCO, while Class B common shares, which carry five votes per share compared with one vote per Class A share, are held entirely by Los Laureles Ltd., a British Virgin Islands company. Under the company’s Master Franchise Agreements with McDonald’s Corporation, Los Laureles Ltd. is contractually required to maintain at all times at least 51% of Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc.’s voting interests and at least 30% of its economic interests, a requirement the company continues to disclose in its Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended 31 December 2025. The most recent beneficial-ownership filing located for Los Laureles Ltd., a Schedule 13D/A dated 17 September 2019, reported that it held approximately 39.20% of economic interests and approximately 76.33% of voting interests through its 100% ownership of Class B shares. Separately, Lazard Asset Management LLC reported beneficial ownership of approximately 18.9% of the company’s equity in a Schedule 13G filed 14 August 2026, making it the largest disclosed institutional shareholder outside the controlling group. No complete public register of all Class A shareholders is available, since SEC rules require disclosure only by holders exceeding 5% of a share class.
Ultimate beneficial ownership
Woods Staton, the company’s Executive Chairman, is reported as the beneficial owner of Los Laureles Ltd. and, as of the 17 September 2019 Schedule 13D/A, held an additional 4.52% of Class A shares directly and indirectly in his own name. Combining his direct Class A holding with his beneficial ownership of Los Laureles Ltd.’s Class B stake, that filing reported Mr. Staton’s total beneficial ownership at approximately 41.94% of economic interests and approximately 77.39% of voting interests as of that date. This figure is reported directly in the SEC filing rather than calculated by Zavia.ai from a multi-step ownership chain. No SEC filing amending these percentages has been located since 2019, so the exact current figure may differ, although the 2025 Form 20-F confirms the underlying control arrangement remains in force.
Data availability
Shareholder information for Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc. is classified as Major shareholders only: the SEC’s disclosure regime requires public reporting only for holders of more than 5% of a share class, so the controlling shareholder and select institutional investors are identified, but the full base of Class A public shareholders is not disclosed. The most recent beneficial-ownership percentages available for the controlling shareholder date from September 2019 and should be treated as the last confirmed filing rather than a current snapshot.
Sources
- Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc., Form 20-F for fiscal year ended 31 December 2025, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, filed 30 April 2026. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1508478/000162828026028950/arco-20251231.htm. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
- Los Laureles Ltd. and Woods Staton, Schedule 13D/A (Amendment No. 2), U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, filed 17 September 2019. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1508478/000095010319012374/dp112840_sc13da-2.htm. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
- Lazard Asset Management LLC, Schedule 13G, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, filed 14 August 2026. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0001508478/000120701726000043/primary_doc.xml. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
Officers
11
Directors and officers of Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc.
As of the company’s most recent public disclosures, Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc.’s board of directors comprises 13 members, and its senior executive team is led by an Executive Chairman and a Chief Executive Officer following a leadership transition completed in July 2025. Nationality, country of residence and correspondence address are treated as separate data points in this profile; the company’s SEC filings and investor relations materials do not officially disclose the nationality of individual directors or officers, consistent with common practice for foreign private issuers. The registered office maintained by Maples Corporate Services (BVI) Limited in Road Town, Tortola, is a statutory correspondence address for the British Virgin Islands entity and should not be read as any officer’s country of residence.
| Name | Role | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Woods Staton | Executive Chairman, Director | Active |
| Luis Raganato | Chief Executive Officer | Active (since July 2025) |
| Carlos Gonzalez | Chief Operating Officer | Active (since July 2025) |
| Mariano Tannenbaum | Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer | Active |
| Juan David Bastidas | Chief Legal Counsel | Active |
| Marcelo Rabach | Director; former Chief Executive Officer, July 2019 to June 2025 | Active as Director |
| Sergio Alonso | Independent Director; former Chief Executive Officer, 2015 to 2019 | Active as Director |
| Alice Staton | Director | Active |
| Francisco Staton | Director | Active |
| Annette Franqui | Director, Chair of Finance Committee | Active |
| Carlos Hernandez-Artigas | Independent Director, Chair of Compensation and Nomination Committee | Active |
| Cristina Presz Palmaka De Luca | Independent Director | Active |
| Jose Alberto Velez | Independent Director, Audit Committee member | Active |
| Jose Fernandez | Independent Director, Audit Committee member | Active |
| Karla Berman | Independent Director | Active |
| Mario Quintana | Independent Director | Active |
| Michael Chu | Independent Director, Audit Committee member | Active |
Additional senior operating and functional leaders reported by the company, including divisional presidents for Brazil and other regions plus corporate function heads, hold operational management titles rather than statutory board or executive-officer positions confirmed in SEC filings, so they are not listed individually here.
Recent officer changes
Effective July 2025, Luis Raganato was appointed Chief Executive Officer, succeeding Marcelo Rabach, who continues to serve on the board of directors. Carlos Gonzalez was appointed Chief Operating Officer at the same time. These changes are reflected in the company’s 2025-2026 investor communications and its board and management-team pages as of the retrieval date.
Data availability
Officer and director information for Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc. is classified as Full for current appointments: the company’s Form 20-F and investor relations pages identify current board members and executive officers by name and role. Historical appointment and resignation dates for earlier officers, and the nationality of individual officers, are not published in the sources reviewed.
Sources
- Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc., Form 20-F for fiscal year ended 31 December 2025, SEC, filed 30 April 2026. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1508478/000162828026028950/arco-20251231.htm. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
- Arcos Dorados investor relations, Board of Directors page. https://ir.arcosdorados.com/company-overview/board-of-directors/. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
- Arcos Dorados investor relations, Management Team page. https://ir.arcosdorados.com/company-overview/management-team/. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
Registry feed — rows exactly as filed with Dirección General de Registros (DGR), including entries the profile above does not cover.
Group Structure
Group structure of Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc.
Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc. is the top publicly listed holding company of the Arcos Dorados group; no further corporate parent above it has been identified in its SEC filings. The company’s Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended 31 December 2025 lists 69 direct and indirect subsidiaries operating across Latin America, the Caribbean and the United States, through which the group conducts its McDonald’s restaurant operations, real-estate holdings and treasury or financing functions. Countries and territories represented in the subsidiary list include Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela, the Netherlands, the United States (Delaware), Aruba, Curacao, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Tobago, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Sint Maarten and Saint Martin. Los Laureles Ltd., the British Virgin Islands company that holds all Class B voting shares of Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc. and is beneficially owned by Executive Chairman Woods Staton, is a controlling shareholder rather than a corporate parent, since it does not itself hold the group’s operating assets.
Verified corporate relationships
| Entity | Country | Registration number | Relationship | Ownership | Status | Information date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arcos Dorados Argentina S.A. | Argentina | Not disclosed in exhibit | Direct or indirect subsidiary | Ownership percentage not disclosed | Active | 31 December 2025 |
| Arcos Dourados Comercio de Alimentos S.A. | Brazil | Not disclosed in exhibit | Direct or indirect subsidiary | Ownership percentage not disclosed | Active | 31 December 2025 |
| Arcos Dorados Restaurantes de Chile SpA | Chile | Not disclosed in exhibit | Direct or indirect subsidiary | Ownership percentage not disclosed | Active | 31 December 2025 |
| Arcos Dorados Colombia S.A.S | Colombia | Not disclosed in exhibit | Direct or indirect subsidiary | Ownership percentage not disclosed | Active | 31 December 2025 |
| Arcos SerCal Inmobiliaria S. de R.L. de C.V. | Mexico | Not disclosed in exhibit | Direct or indirect subsidiary | Ownership percentage not disclosed | Active | 31 December 2025 |
| Arcos Dorados B.V. | Netherlands | Not disclosed in exhibit | Direct or indirect subsidiary | Ownership percentage not disclosed | Active | 31 December 2025 |
| Golden Arch Development LLC | United States (Delaware) | Not disclosed in exhibit | Direct or indirect subsidiary | Ownership percentage not disclosed | Active | 31 December 2025 |
| Los Laureles Ltd. | British Virgin Islands | Not disclosed in reviewed sources | Controlling shareholder, not a subsidiary or parent | 100% of Class B shares; approximately 39.20% of economic interests as of September 2019 | Active | 17 September 2019 (shareholding); 31 December 2025 (control requirement confirmed) |
The exhibit lists a total of 69 subsidiaries; the table above shows a representative selection by jurisdiction rather than the complete list, which is set out in full in the company’s Exhibit 8.1 to its Form 20-F.
Data availability
Group-structure information for Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc. is classified as Full for the subsidiary list, since the company’s Form 20-F exhibit names all consolidated subsidiaries by jurisdiction, but ownership percentages and registration numbers for individual subsidiaries are not disclosed in that exhibit and were not separately verified in each local registry.
Sources
- Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc., Form 20-F for fiscal year ended 31 December 2025, Exhibit 8.1 (List of Subsidiaries), SEC, filed 30 April 2026. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1508478/000162828026028950/exhibit812025.htm. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
- Los Laureles Ltd. and Woods Staton, Schedule 13D/A (Amendment No. 2), SEC, filed 17 September 2019. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1508478/000095010319012374/dp112840_sc13da-2.htm. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the legal name and jurisdiction of incorporation of Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc.?
The company is Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc., a business company incorporated on 9 December 2010 under the laws of the British Virgin Islands, holding BVI company number 1619553 and governed by the BVI Business Companies Act, as confirmed by its own memorandum and articles of association and its filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Why does Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc. show a Uruguay country code if it is incorporated in the British Virgin Islands?
Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc.'s legal jurisdiction of incorporation is the British Virgin Islands, but its principal executive offices, where the group's corporate management operates, are located at Rio Negro 1338, WTC Free Zone, Montevideo, Uruguay. These are two separate concepts: the Uruguay address is the operational headquarters, not the company's country of incorporation.
What is Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc.'s registration number in the British Virgin Islands?
Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc. holds British Virgin Islands company number 1619553.
When was Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc. incorporated?
Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc. was incorporated on 9 December 2010 under the laws of the British Virgin Islands, with its memorandum and articles subsequently amended and restated in December 2010 and March 2011.
What is the legal form of Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc.?
Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc. is a business company limited by shares incorporated under the BVI Business Companies Act, with Class A shares listed publicly and Class B shares held by its controlling shareholder.
Where is Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc.'s registered office?
Its registered office is maintained by Maples Corporate Services (BVI) Limited at Kingston Chambers, P.O. Box 173, Road Town, Tortola, British Virgin Islands. This is a statutory registered office and not the company's operating headquarters.
Where are Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc.'s principal executive offices?
The company's principal executive offices are at Rio Negro 1338, WTC Free Zone, Montevideo, Uruguay, reflecting where its corporate management and administrative functions are based, separately from its British Virgin Islands incorporation.
Is Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc. publicly listed?
Yes. Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc. has traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker ARCO since its 2011 initial public offering and files annual reports on Form 20-F with the SEC as a foreign private issuer under CIK 0001508478.
What does Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc. do?
Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc. describes itself as the world's largest independent McDonald's franchisee by number of restaurants, operating McDonald's-branded restaurants across Latin America and the Caribbean.
What is Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc.'s relationship with McDonald's Corporation?
Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc. is an independent franchisee, not a subsidiary of McDonald's Corporation. Under long-standing Master Franchise Agreements, it holds the exclusive right to own, operate and grant sub-franchises of McDonald's restaurants across 21 Latin American and Caribbean countries and territories.
Who controls Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc.?
Los Laureles Ltd., a British Virgin Islands company beneficially owned by Executive Chairman Woods Staton, holds 100% of Class B shares, which carry five votes each. Master Franchise Agreements require Los Laureles Ltd. to hold at least 51% of voting interests and 30% of economic interests at all times.
Who is the current Chief Executive Officer of Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc.?
Luis Raganato has served as Chief Executive Officer since July 2025, succeeding Marcelo Rabach, who remains a director of the company.
How many subsidiaries does Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc. have?
The company's Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended 31 December 2025 lists 69 direct and indirect subsidiaries across countries including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, the Netherlands and the United States.
In how many countries does Arcos Dorados operate McDonald's restaurants?
According to its investor relations disclosures, Arcos Dorados operates in 21 Latin American and Caribbean countries and territories, with more than 2,500 restaurants and over 100,000 employees as of 30 June 2026.
Does zavia.ai monitor Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc. for company data changes?
Yes, zavia.ai tracks registry, ownership and officer data for Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc. and can provide alerts and API access for ongoing due-diligence monitoring of this NYSE-listed company.