McDonald’s sales have slipped but the nation’s biggest fast-food chain is hoping for a quick fix with a new menu plan.
The company began testing a mix-and-match menu last week across roughly 1,900 stores that will allow customers to bundle multiple items for a single price at some locations or pick from fixed bundles at others, according to an earnings call Wednesday.
The aim to bring back customers who have been opting to eat at home because of tight budgets and the high cost-of-living. A full rollout of the mix-and-match menu will be completed in early 2027, the company said.
Earlier this year, the company also brought back several popular in-app digital offers, and focused marketing on low-priced menu options. The moves boosted sales in September after a slide in July and August, CEO Chris Kempczinski said.
“We’re encouraged by the initial response to those interventions and the direction of the business,” Kempczinski said. “At the same time, we know there’s more work to do. Our focus now is to build on that improvement and accelerate baseline performance.”
Overall, the company reported a 0.2 percent year-on-year decline in sales from July to September amid Kempczinski’s concerns that inflation and slow sales aren’t going away.
The mix-and-match experiment comes after McDonald’s launched a $3 menu in April that flopped, according to the company. Customers didn’t show much interest in the menu, which offered a range of breakfast, lunch and dinner items priced under $3.
McDonald’s isn’t the only fast-food chain looking for answers in a tough economy. Competitor Wendy’s saw its U.S. sales plummet 7.6 percent from July to September. The chain also offers a mix-and-match menu and recently launched a limited-time $7.99 value meal that includes a quarter-pound cheeseburger, fries and a drink.
Meanwhile, Burger King seems to have found the secret to thriving as consumers tighten their wallets.
The company’s U.S. sales grew 8.4 percent from July to September, punctuating a run of six consecutive quarters of sales growth in America. Earlier in the year, the company overhauled its Whopper and chicken nuggets in response to customer feedback.
All three brands face an economy that’s driving customers away from restaurants. Some 67 percent of consumers said they were eating at home more and dining out less, according to a survey of 1,000 U.S. adults by restaurant marketing firm Popmenu.
McDonald’s’ Kempczinski believes those conditions will persist in the coming months, saying at a recent investor day even that he doesn’t see restaurant demand and spiking anytime soon because of inflation.
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