New Big Macs, Cheaper Drinks Help Boost McDonald’s Sales

Last year, McDonald’s had all-day breakfast to thank for a boost in sales, beating earning expectations. Now, the company has its three sizes of Big Macs and cheaper drinks to hang its fatter wallet on.

Golden Arches posted a same-store sales gain of 1.7% for the first quarter of 2017, likely a result of the company’s menu changes and promotions.

The company says that while all-day breakfast continued to buoy sales, the addition of the bigger Grand Mac and smaller Mac Jr. and $1 and $2 McCafe drink and soda promotions contributed to the increases.

Total revenue for the fast food giant came to $5.68 billion for the first quarter, a 4% decline over sales for the same period in 2016.

However, the revenue levels represent a $15 million increase over average projections, Bloomberg reports.

“Our efforts to build a better McDonald’s are yielding meaningful results with continued positive momentum,” McDonald’s CEO Steve Easterbrook said in a statement. “There’s a sense of urgency across the business as we take actions to retain existing customers, regain lapsed customers and convert casual customers to committed customers.”

The company’s same-store sales in the U.S. beat analysts’ previous estimate of a 0.8% drop predicted by analysts, Bloomberg reports.

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