McDonald’s, through its official Weibo account, confirmed on Wednesday evening that it has changed its Chinese company name from "Maidanglao" to "Jingongmen," or “Golden Arches.”
The fast food chain, however, clarified that it "only changed its registered name" but that all stores would continue their service under the familiar Chinese brand name "Maidanglao" (the Chinese pinyin translation of the English word McDonald).
The clarification was made after earlier reports about the change have triggered heated discussion and confusion among Chinese netizens - many of whom think the new name is old-fashioned or sounding more like a traditional Chinese restaurant, while some wonder whether the old name will still be used in its stores in China.
According to Caixin, McDonald’s name change came after two subsidiaries of state-backed CITIC Group, CITIC Limited and CITIC Capital, bought 52 percent of McDonald's China's shares in July 2017. The deal also saw American investment company Carlyle Investment Group holding 28 percent of the shares and McDonald's owning the remaining 20 percent.
After the acquisition, McDonald's China announced its “Vision 2022” which will help the fast food chain increase its stores from 2,500 to 4,500 on the Chinese mainland in the next five years.
By then, about 45 percent of all McDonald's outlets will be located in third- and fourth-tier cities, and 500 new restaurants are expected to be open on annual basis, much higher than the present expansion speed of 250 new chains per year.
McDonald’s focus on value is paying off.
The fast food giant said Wednesday that its global same-store sales — or sales at locations open at least a year — jumped 5.7% in the October-December period. That's better than the 3.9% Wall Street was expecting, according to analysts polled by FactSet.
Chicago-based McDonald's fourth quarter revenue and earnings also beat analysts' expectations.
McDonald’s cut prices on some U.S. combo meals in September. Those Extra Value Meal promotions came on top of discounts that began earlier in 2025, like the McValue menu. McDonald's popular Snack Wraps, which returned to menus in July for $2.99, also helped improve value perceptions.
McDonald’s CEO Chris 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.
“McDonald’s is not going to get beat on value and affordability," Kempczinski said during a conference call with investors.
The company also boosted U.S. traffic in the fourth quarter with marketing schemes, including the return of its Monopoly game in October and a Grinch-themed meal in December. Kempczinski said McDonald's sold 50 million pairs of Grinch socks with those meals in the first few days of the promotion, briefly making the company the largest seller of socks in the world.
McDonald's said its same-store sales rose 6.8% in the U.S. in the October-December period. Ian Borden, McDonald's chief financial officer, said that pace will likely slow in the January-March period, partly because severe winter weather has hurt traffic or forced some restaurants to close or limit their hours.
McDonald's focus on value and marketing has been similar in international markets. In Germany, for example, lower-priced McSmart snacks have boosted store traffic. Same-store sales in McDonald's company-operated international markets rose 5.2% in the fourth quarter; Borden also expects that pace to slow in the first quarter due to weather impacts.
“We’re really confident about what’s within our control, really confident about the underlying momentum of the business,” Borden said.
The company said it's working on new menu items for this year, 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.
McDonald's revenue rose 10% to $7.01 billion in the fourth quarter. That beat Wall Street's forecast of $6.84 billion.
Net income rose 7% to $2.16 billion. Adjusted for one-time items, including restructuring charges, McDonald's earned $3.12 per share. That also beat analysts' forecast of a $3.05 per share profit.
McDonald's shares were flat in after-hours trading.
Other chains have also been focused on their value message over the last year. Taco Bell, which expanded its value menu in January 2025, said last week that its same-store sales jumped 7% in the October-December period.
FILE - A sign for a McDonald's restaurant in Philadelphia, on Friday, June 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
