McDonald's global same-store sales rose 5.7% in the fourth quarter of 2025, beating analysts’ expectations, The Wall Street Journal reported. In the United States, same-store sales increased 6.8%.

“McDonald’s is not going to get beat on value and affordability,” Chief Executive Officer Chris Kempczinski said during an investor call, attributing the growth to the company’s multi-year effort to increase affordability.

According to the Associated Press, McDonald’s cut prices on U.S. combo meals in September, which came on top of discounts like the McValue menu that began earlier in 2025. McDonald’s Snack Wraps, which returned to menus in July for $2.99, also helped improve value perceptions.

“Kempczinski said those changes helped McDonald’s gain share among consumers with household incomes of $45,000 or less, a segment that has been drifting away from the brand,” AP wrote.

Marketing promotions in the fourth quarter also helped with U.S. growth. In December, McDonald's added a holiday-themed Grinch meal. The meal notched "the highest single sales day in history," executives said in an investor call.

The company also brought back its Monopoly tie-in after nearly a decade in October, followed by a slate of value offers as low as $5 in November.

For 2026, McDonald’s is working on new menu items, “including beverages inspired by its short-lived CosMc’s restaurant format. McDonald’s said it plans to start selling energy drinks, iced coffees and fruity refreshers under its McCafe brand sometime later this year,” AP reported.

WSJ reported that the company also aims to speed up the development of new restaurants from 2025 levels. “We had earned the right to grow again,” Chief Financial Officer Ian Borden said in an interview with WSJ.

Borden predicts that the first quarter of 2026 will likely have a slower pace, partly because severe winter weather has hurt traffic or forced some restaurants to close or limit their hours.