I'd like to dispute your assessment of "all north American cities." Consider San Francisco: http://maps.google.com/maps?q=mcdonalds+san+francisco,+ca&hl=en&ll

I'd like to dispute your assessment of "all north American cities." Consider San Francisco: http://maps.google.com/maps?q=mcdonalds+san+francisco,+ca&hl=en&ll=37.761487,-122.427177&spn=0.08224,0.144882&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=42.03917,74.179688&hq=mcdonalds&hnear=San+Francisco,+California&t=m&z=13 http://maps.google.com/maps?q=mcdonalds+san+francisco,+ca&#3... This is not a large number of McDonalds for a city this size. Most of the establishments are singular or small, local chains (such as Philz Coffee).