Crispy chicken and double cheeseburger meals enticed customers back to McDonald’s this summer.
The restaurant chain reported that global same-store sales rose 3.8 percent in the quarter ending June 30, compared with the same time last year. The primary driver was a 2.5 percent increase in the United States.
In recent quarters, sales at McDonald’s have stalled as various economic pressures, including continued high inflation and interest rates, curtailed spending among lower-income customers and some middle-income ones as well.
But in its most recent quarter, McDonald’s leaned into new promotions, hoping to win customers back. In April, it offered a meal deal tied to the release of a movie based on the popular Minecraft game. And in May, it brought back its popular McCrispy chicken strips. The chain has also extended its $5 meal deal, introduced last summer.
Global revenue for the chain, which include fees from franchisees, increased 5 percent in the second quarter from a year earlier, to $6.8 billion. Profit rose 11 percent, to $2.2 billion.
In May, executives warned of growing negative sentiment in some international markets toward America and American brands because of President Trump’s policies, including tariffs. But McDonald’s international business does not appear to have been affected. International sales generate nearly 60 percent of its revenues.
Same-store sales for the segment with restaurants that the chain owns outside the United States, which includes Canada and much of Europe, grew 4 percent from a year earlier. In other international markets where outlets are run by franchises, including China, Japan and the Middle East, McDonald’s reported a 5.6 percent rise from levels last year, led by Japan.
Julie Creswell is a business reporter covering the food industry for The Times, writing about all aspects of food, including farming, food inflation, supply-chain disruptions and climate change.
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