The American fast food chain McDonald's closed the second quarter of the year with a net profit of 2.362 billion dollars (2.050 billion euros), which represents an increase of 4.8% compared to the result recorded between April and June of the previous year, according to the company.
The revenue of the multinational with the iconic 'golden arches' reached 7.099 billion dollars (6.161 billion euros) in the period, 3.8% more than a year earlier in absolute terms. On a comparable basis, once excluding the effect of the exchange rate and variations in the consolidation perimeter, McDonald's revenues increased by 1.3%.
By business lines, the revenue from restaurants operated directly by the company increased by 3% in the quarter, to 2.525 billion dollars (2.191 billion euros). Meanwhile, the income derived from the commissions and fees charged to franchisees rose by 4%, to 4.393 billion dollars (3.813 billion euros).
Regarding the evolution by markets, comparable sales in the United States grew by 0.8% in the second quarter, a significantly lower rate than the 2.5% recorded in the same period of 2025. In the segment of restaurants managed in international markets, comparable revenues increased by 1.5%, compared to 4% a year earlier, while in the area of licensed markets in international development, the increase was 1.9%, below the 5.6% recorded in the second quarter of the previous year.
With all this, in the first half of 2026, the restaurant chain accumulated a net profit of 4.345 billion dollars (3.771 billion euros), 5.4% more than in the same period of the previous year. The turnover for the semester stood at 13.616 billion dollars (11.817 billion euros), representing a year-on-year growth of 6.4%.
McDonald's accounts recorded a negative impact before taxes of 52 million dollars (45 million euros) in the second quarter and 99 million dollars (86 million euros) for the entire semester, mainly linked to restructuring costs related to the company's internal effort to modernize its working methods.
"While our strategy is working worldwide, we see an opportunity to raise the bar in the U.S. and accelerate performance in our largest market," declared Chris Kempczinski, president and CEO of the multinational.
In this regard, McDonald's CEO believes that the appointment of Skye Anderson as president of McDonald's USA will bring "focus and urgency" to these efforts, given her deep understanding of the system, her operational discipline, and her proven ability to drive change and achieve results.