McDonald’s to Expand All-Day Breakfast to Keep Sales Boost Going

(Bloomberg) -- McDonald's Corp. is going bigger with all-day breakfast.

In a bid to maintain the hype -- and the sales gains -- the chain is planning to add McGriddles and more breakfast sandwiches to its all-hours menu. The change will take place across the U.S. in September, almost a year after all-day breakfast was first introduced, the Oak Brook, Illinois-based company said in a statement on Wednesday.

All-day breakfast has been a key piece of Chief Executive Officer Steve Easterbrook's effort to revive the struggling fast-food giant. The strategy helped McDonald's global same-store sales rise 6.2 percent in the first quarter, the biggest gain in four years. The chain has also boosted sales with value meals, and its bottom line has gotten a lift from lower commodity costs.

Right now, the full-day breakfast menu is limited, with some locations selling only English muffin-based sandwiches and others only selling biscuit ones. With the expansion, biscuit and McMuffin options will be available at all U.S. locations, along with three varieties of McGriddles -- a sandwich that uses maple-flavored pancakes as buns.

McDonald's, which is scheduled to report third-quarter results on July 26, is facing a fiercely competitive domestic industry. Wendy's Co. has been advertising a four-items-for-$4 deal, while Burger King is introducing new fare, including fried Mac 'n Cheetos sticks and hot dogs.

Shares of McDonald's were little changed at $120.69 as of 3:14 p.m. in New York. The stock gained 26 percent in the 12 months through Tuesday, compared with a 0.6 percent increase for the Standard & Poor's 500 Index.

To contact the reporter on this story: Leslie Patton in Chicago at lpatton5@bloomberg.net. To contact the editors responsible for this story: Kevin Orland at korland@bloomberg.net, Paul Barbagallo