Skip to navigationSkip to main contentSkip to right columnADVERTISEMENTMicah Zimmerman, The Motley FoolSat, July 25, 2026 at 1:20 PM GMT+2 4 min readWarren Buffett has never been shy about the great businesses he let slip through his fingers. One of the most painful was McDonald's (NYSE: MCD), which Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRKB) (NYSE: BRKA) sold in the late 1990s in a move Buffett flatly called "a very big mistake." Berkshire has passed on the stock ever since. I think Greg Abel, Berkshire's new chief executive officer, will eventually buy it back, and the reason is simple: McDonald's is a textbook Berkshire business.The mold McDonald's fitsForget the burgers for a moment.