McDonald’s must drive excellence across menu, marketing and value if it is to win in today’s “challenging” environment, says CEO Chris Kempczinski.
McDonald’s CEO says the business must go “three for three” and deliver on menu, marketing and value if it is to drive success.
Value and affordability platforms, menu innovation and “world class” marketing execution are three core pillars of McDonald’s strategy globally. However, in an extremely competitive environment, and with consumer sentiment generally down, it is not enough for McDonald’s to drive excellence in just one of these areas, CEO Chris Kempczinski said.
“In this environment, you got to go three for three,” he asserted. “If you go one for three, if you go two for three, you’re not going to be putting up the kind of performance that I think we would all aspire to, in terms of being able to really have outsize share gains.”
McDonald’s CEO says the business must go “three for three” and deliver on menu, marketing and value if it is to drive success.
Value and affordability platforms, menu innovation and “world class” marketing execution are three core pillars of McDonald’s strategy globally. However, in an extremely competitive environment, and with consumer sentiment generally down, it is not enough for McDonald’s to drive excellence in just one of these areas, CEO Chris Kempczinski said.
“In this environment, you got to go three for three,” he asserted. “If you go one for three, if you go two for three, you’re not going to be putting up the kind of performance that I think we would all aspire to, in terms of being able to really have outsize share gains.”
Kempczinski was speaking as the fast-food chain reported its second quarter results, for the period ending 30 June 2025. McDonald’s global comparable sales grew 3.8% year-on-year. International operated markets (those outside the US) grew comparable sales at 4%, strong growth Kempczinski attributed to driving the three pillars of the strategy simultaneously.
We recognise that restoring sustained positive performance in the UK will take time.
Chris Kempczinski, McDonald’s
While the business does not split out individual markets performance outside the US, the UK has been flagged as a market in which McDonald’s has been underperforming in recent times. The brand has been faced with increased competition and has needed to re-assert its value standing in the UK, the global CEO previously said.
“We recognise that restoring sustained positive performance in the UK will take time,” Kempczinski claimed during today’s call.
In its most recent quarter, the fast-food chain introduced menu innovation in the UK the form of the new Big Arch burger, which has already rolled out in several of its other markets. Early response to the launch is meeting the company’s expectations, Kempczinski said, with positive reaction to the marketing campaign around the Big Arch rollout and what the CEO termed “social media buzz”.
The UK was also one of the more than 100 markets where McDonald’s rolled out its Minecraft campaign in the last quarter to tie in with the A Minecraft Movie release in April. The consumer response to this campaign was “incredibly strong”, the business claimed.
The Minecraft campaign was cited as an example of the “one McDonald’s way” principle, which sees the organisation roll out best practice and ideas across its markets. The creative was also cited as an example of the brand’s relevance to consumers’ lives.
“Our recent global Minecraft movie campaign is just the latest example of the strength of our brand and a reminder that McDonald’s isn’t just a restaurant, we’re a part of people’s lives, their routines and their favourite moments,” Kempczinski said.
The brand also highlighted that it generated around $9bn (£6.7bn) in sales to loyalty members in the quarter and around $33bn (£25bn) in the 12 months to 30 June.
The loyalty programme, which has now rolled out in 60 markets, is effectively driving frequency, Kempczinski asserted.
This is something that will be crucial to the brand’s growth going forward, he said.
“At the end of the day, when 80% to 90% of the population comes to McDonald’s, our opportunity is always around frequency,” he said. “And so getting more and more consumers to be in our loyalty programme, that’s how we’re going to drive this business, because it’s going to be frequency-led growth.”
