McDonald’s bucks a decline with $1 soda

McDonald’s is trying to modernize its image by rolling out delivery and promising fresh beef in Quarter Pounders. But for now, $1 sodas are helping get people in the door.

The company said Tuesday that discounted drinks and a new line of pricier burgers helped boost sales in its flagship US market by 3.9 percent at existing locations during the second quarter.

Chief Executive Steve Easterbrook has been working on trans- forming the chain’s menu and stores to get customers visiting more often in an increasingly competitive environment. Customer visits have declined in the US for four straight years at existing locations, and McDonald’s is on track to shrink its domestic footprint for the third year in a row.

The latest quarter showed signs of improvement. McDonald’s said customer visits increased at existing domestic locations, though there were about 100 fewer US locations than a year ago. It did not specify how much customer visits contributed to the sales increase, but Easterbrook has repeatedly laid out plans to get the figure climbing again by making McDonald’s more convenient.

Those efforts include introducing in-store ordering kiosks, expanding delivery through UberEats and launching a mobile order-and-pay option later this year.

For the three months that ended June 30, McDonald’s earned $1.4 billion, or $1.70 per share. Earnings adjusted for non-recurring costs came to $1.73 per share, beating analysts forecast for $1.62, according to a poll by Zacks Investment Research.

McDonald’s said total revenue was $6.05 billion, also higher than expected.

The company’s shares rose percent, to $159.07, on Tuesday. 4.8