McDonald’s boss apologises for E. coli outbreak as sales slide

He said McDonald’s had, however, been pleased by signs of improvement in the US, where the company launched a $5 (£3.85) happy meal promotion over the summer and has enticed customers with a new chicken sandwich.

In the quarter, that helped the firm eke out a 0.3% sales rise in the US in stores open at least a year.

McDonald’s is now hoping to replicate that success in other markets such as the UK, where the chain has introduced offerings such as a Three for £3 deal and a £2.75 breakfast bundle.

The debut of the popular “Grimace” shake in the UK has also driven excitement, executives said.

“We are beginning to see progress,” said chief financial officer Ian Borden, while adding that the firm expected that its business in the Middle East would continue to be affected by conflict in the region.

Bosses told investors they did not expect to increase prices significantly until the business was doing better, noting that they are still facing “a lot of resistance” from customers.