{
  "id": 12577294,
  "title": "$5 meals, $6 combos and fewer visits: McDonald’s barrage of deals isn’t winning customers back",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/07/5-meals-6-combos-and-fewer-visits-mcdonalds-barrage-of-deals-isnt",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-07T07:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Fortune",
    "slug": "fortune",
    "url": "https://fortune.com/2026/10/07/mcdonalds-earnings-growth-customers-meal-deals/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "McDonald's recent attempts at enticing customers with lower-priced meals and combo deals have not been successful in bringing back lost sales, according to recent reports. CEO Chris Kempczinski has been trying to win back customers who have been put off by rising inflation and competition from other fast food chains. However, the company's growth has been shrinking quarter by quarter, and customer visits have reportedly declined. Wall Street has taken notice, with the stock falling 32% from its February high. Some of McDonald's efforts to revive its performance have backfired, with the CEO admitting that the company launched too many new menu items and deals, overwhelming its restaurants and harming service. The onslaught of new menu items and deals irked franchisees, who were asked to spend $1 million per store on remodels and upgrades. Despite Kempczinski's defense of the strategy, McDonald's recent performance suggests that the malaise goes beyond a few tactical errors. In its most recent quarter, McDonald's reported U.S. comparable sales growth of just 0.8%, a far cry from the 8.5% growth seen at rival Burger King. McDonald's struggles are primarily due to a drop in store visits, which Placer.ai estimates fell 4.5% in the first half of 2026. Beef prices, which have risen by 5.9% in the past year, are a major concern for McDonald's, particularly given its focus on lower-income customers. While other quick-service restaurant chains like Wendy's, Popeyes, and Papa John's are also struggling, some are succeeding by renovating their restaurants and refreshing their menus. Burger King, for example, has overhauled half of its restaurant fleet in four years and seen a 20% jump in Whopper sales this year. McDonald's is aiming to capture more market share through renovations, but it needs the buy-in of franchisees, who own 95% of the restaurants. The company recently pushed back its target of renovating 50,000 total restaurants to 2028, and announced a $8.5 billion plan to help franchisees with capital support and rent relief.",
  "summary": "High inflation and poor execution are turning off many of the burger giant's customers.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}