NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- When investors look at the change in McDonald's share price last year, they can think only one thing: "I'm lovin' it."

The fast food giant was the best performer on the Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) in 2011, up 31%. That was enough to beat out Warren Buffett's newest favorite, IBM (IBM, Fortune 500), No. 2 among the blue chip winners.