Disappointing revenue figures revealed on Monday indicated the challenging quarter faced by McDonald’s. The primary reason behind this is the lower-than-anticipated sales at its U.S. locations, following an E. coli outbreak that struck just weeks into the reporting period.
Despite the setback, shares of the company saw an increase of nearly 5% as executives expressed positive results for a sales rebound in 2025.
Here is a comparison of reported figures of McDonald’s against what Wall Street expected. The earnings per share were adjusted at $2.83 which matches the forecast. The revenue was noted as $6.39 billion as compared to the expected $6.44 billion.
However, the U.S. segment experienced a sharper decline in same-store sales than it was expected. Domestic restaurant sales fell by 1.4% during the quarter, while analysts had predicted a decrease of only 0.6%.
McDonald’s noted a slight uptick in customer traffic, but patrons spent less than usual. To attract budget-conscious diners and stimulate sluggish sales, the chain introduced a $5 combo meal over the summer.
This strategy proved to be effective and it also contributed to a modest increase in the U.S. same-store sales in the third quarter. Nevertheless, analysts have warned that the value meals are only beneficial to the customers who opt for additional full-priced items.
McDonald’s executives minimized the concerns by stating that the average expenditure on the $5 meal deal exceeded $10. The most major blow to the US sales of McDonald’s occurred in late October. It happened because of the deadly E. coli outbreak to its Quarter Pounder burgers.
In response to this, McDonald’s changed its suppliers for its silvered onions which have been identified as the possible source of the outbreak. By early December, the CDC announced that the outbreak had ended officially.
Business Journalist
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