McDonald's sold slightly less at its established U.S. restaurants this summer than a year earlier as fewer customers came through the doors, with U.S. comparable sales slipping 0.2% in the quarter that ended Sept. 30, the company reported Wednesday, after rising 2.4% in the same quarter of 2025.
Bigger orders nearly made up for it. McDonald's said negative guest counts were "largely offset by positive check growth."
The U.S. business
Chairman and CEO Chris Kempczinski pointed to the company's value push. "In the U.S., we're encouraged by improvement as the quarter progressed following our intervention on value," he said. The release did not break out results for individual deals or menu items.
Over the first nine months of the year, U.S. comparable sales are up 1.4%, according to the company's supplemental filing, so the third quarter was weaker than the year so far.
Overseas and the bottom line
Growth came from outside the U.S. Comparable sales rose 1.4% in the large markets McDonald's operates directly, led by Germany and Australia, and 4.2% in markets run by licensees, led by Japan. China was a soft spot, with negative comparable sales.
Systemwide sales grew 4% to more than $38 billion, diluted earnings rose 10% to $3.51 a share, or $3.57 excluding restructuring charges from its effort to modernize how the company works, and customers in its loyalty programs spent more than $11 billion in the quarter alone.
The board raised the quarterly dividend 4%, to $1.93 a share.
