In a world where fast-food and other restaurant chains have struggled to survive, McDonald’s has stayed the course. The fast-food giant had what could be described as a decent year when balanced against the broader restaurant world.
Global comparable-store sales dropped slightly by 0.1% in 2024 while U.S. sales rose by 0.2%, a number hurt by a 1.4% drop in Q4 U.S. sales due to the impact of an E. coli outbreak linked to slivered onions on its Quarter Pounders.
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Given the state of the restaurant world, most companies would consider these numbers a win, but McDonald’s has gotten used to expecting better.
CEO Chris Kempczinski was happy with how his company handled the E. coli issues.
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“At McDonald’s, we always say that food safety is our No. 1 priority, and this unfortunate incident is an important reminder of that fact. The strength of our brand depends upon the absolute trust of our customers, and I’m pleased by the positive feedback we’ve received from so many regarding our rapid and transparent handling of this issue,” he said during the chain’s fourth-quarter earnings call.
McDonald’s customers stopped thinking of the brand as being a good value.
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McDonald’s doubles down on value
There were points where McDonald’s (MCD) lost the hearts and minds and minds of American consumers when it came to value. That’s something Kempczinski more or less acknowledged.
“Our marketing efforts are reclaiming leadership in value and affordability through initiatives like Every Day Affordable Price menus and meal bundles. In the U.S., the January launch of the McValue platform provides consistent, compelling value, with the choice and flexibility our customers want,” he said.
That may not be a direct response to the memes showing McDonald’s combination meals at prices that seem high for the chain, but it’s clearly an attempt to clear up that perception. The CEO kept hammering the value message, but that’s not the only area he cares about.
“With good value at the foundation, we will overlay a strong pipeline of creative marketing ideas that will delight our fans and will provide full-margin check growth,” he added.
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Value and price were not only important to American consumers.
“In many of our international markets, we are making further enhancements to our value programs in the first quarter to ensure that we are offering industry-leading value,” the CEO shared.
McDonald’s returns to its core
While innovation has always been part of the McDonald’s plan, the chain’s CEO sees its familiar “core” as key to its ongoing success.
“Our core menu remains at the heart of our business,” he said.
The chain also plans to grow that core.
“We’re excited about the significant opportunity we see within our chicken portfolio and see the potential to add another point of chicken market share by the end of 2026. We continue to roll out McCrispy, which is now in over 70 markets and will be available in nearly all markets by the end of 2025,” he added.Â
Kempczinski also believes there’s room for new chicken offerings and for McDonald’s to reassert quality as a key part of its brand.
“This year, there is incredible energy for the return of Snack Wraps in the U.S., along with a few other markets. And the U.S. will also launch a new chicken strip offering. We’ll continue to pulse in the Chicken Big Mac as a limited-time-only offering over time,” he added.
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The CEO noted that the Chicken Big Mac helped generate chicken market share growth in the France and the U.S. in 2024. He also spoke highly of the company’s efforts to offer a better burger globally.
“Deployment of Best Burger continues. It’s currently available in over 80 countries, and we’re on track to implement it in nearly all markets by the end of 2026. And we’re excited to capture incremental growth with the Big Arch as we roll it out to more international markets this year,” he added.
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