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Food News

31st Jan 2023

Adult Happy Meals significantly boosted McDonald’s sales last year

Fiona Frawley

a takeaway mcdonalds bag being handed out at a drive thru

They’re all anyone’s ever wanted, in fairness.

Adult Happy Meals and other limited-time promotions boosted traffic at McDonald’s restaurants towards the end of last year, despite higher prices.

According to research conducted by FactSet, sales at McDonald’s branches open for at least a year rose 12.6% in the October-December period.

This week, McDonald’s posted net income of $1.903 billion, or $2.59 a share, up from $1.639 billion, or $2.18 a share, in the same period last year. The restaurant chain reported fourth-quarter sales of $5.927 billion, down from $6.009 billion in the same period last year, but above the FactSet consensus of $5.720 billion.

In a statement, the fast food chain said that US sales had benefited from strategic menu price increases and positive guest counts.

“Successful menu and marketing campaigns, such as the Cactus Plant Flea Market promotion and McRib, and continued digital and delivery growth contributed to strong comparable sales results,” the statement reads.

In October of last year, McDonald’s launched their adult happy meals with a choice of 10 McNuggets or a Big Mac, and limited edition toys from streetwear brand Cactus Plant Flea Market.

Half of the toys were gone within the first four days of the promotion, according to chief executive Chris Kempczinski.

Meanwhile, a “farewell tour” for the beloved McRib sandwich drew in more customers in November.

Header image via Shutterstock 

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