McDonald's reported record earnings for the third quarter as consumers welcomed the fast food giant's new salad meals, new Happy Meals and dollar/euro/pound menu offerings.
The chain said that in the third quarter it made $547.4m, up 12% from the same period a year earlier when it reported profit of $486.7m. Sales at restaurants open longer than a year rose 3.9% worldwide.
In the US, same-store sales jumped 9.5%. In Europe, where performance is a crucial part of the company's turnaround plan, McDonald's showed a 0.1% fall in same-store sales.
The company said Europe delivered it highest quarterly sales jump this year as expansion in France and robust results in Russia offset continuing negative trends in the United Kingdom and Germany.
Total sales were up 11% to $4.5 billion from $4.05 billion last year. Chief executive Jim Cantalupo said menu improvements were generating almost one million new customer visits each day.
