McDonald's now has an app that lets customers order and pay on their phones. It has also embraced technology more under Easterbrook, and that's attracting more customers. So McDonald's isn't just benefiting from higher-priced burgers and fries. Related: McDonald's is putting fresh beef in the Quarter Pounder McDonald's has introduced several new menu items during the past three years that have been hits with customers, such as kale salad, a burger with Sriracha sauce and fresh beef in its Quarter Pounders. Those are the numbers that Wall Street cares about.

Same-store sales rose 2.9% in the United States and 5.5% globally, led by strong results in the UK, Germany, China and Italy. But same-store sales growth, which measures the performance of restaurants open at least a year, was stellar. Will you pay more?ДЄt McDonald's, overall sales were down because the company is selling more of its corporate-owned restaurants to franchisees. Related: Coke and Hershey's costs are going up.

Amazon ( AMZN) announced last week that it is raising the price of its annual Prime service from $99 to $119. Netflix ( NFLX) recently raised subscription prices, and that hasn't hurt subscriber growth at all. More companies are realizing that if there is strong demand for their products, the economy is healthy enough that customers will pay more. The Mexican food chain reported solid sales and profit last week, in part because of higher prices on the menu. Raising prices wasn't a problem for Chipotle ( CMG), either. The company has wowed Wall Street and won back customers under the leadership of Steve Easterbrook, who took over as CEO in March 2015. The stock rose after it reported earnings and sales that topped forecasts. In 2018 the team took part for the fourth time in the McDonaldвЂ™s annual Oxford to Holland cycle ride bringing the total they have raised to ВЈ100,000 for Ronald McDonald House Charities.But passing on those higher costs to customers clearly didn't hurt McDonald's. I & A Restaurants support a wide range of charity and community events around each outlet - including regular clean-up campaigns, fund-raising for football and much more. вЂњWe are very keen to make the most of the national branding and marketing initiatives which an international company like McDonaldвЂ™s makes available, whilst maintaining our relationship with our local community,вЂќ added Ismail. Something of a sentimental acquisition, but the popular restaurant is well supported by 1,000s of students from the town centre Bedford College.ДЄlways keeping up with customer demands and McDonaldвЂ™s commitment to service, Home Deliveries are now available from some of IsmailвЂ™s restaurants including Bedford, and Bedford High Street pioneered the brandвЂ™s Signature burgers which compete with the gourmet outlets. He bought the franchise for the Bedford High Street restaurant in July 2006. ItвЂ™s all about that team working and training people to progress through the company.вЂќ вЂњNow we employ 1,500 people and have a really good management team.

вЂњBack in 1981 I started as crew member at the newly opened Bedford High Street restaurant and after six months I was promoted to a manager,вЂќ said Ismail, a delightfully modest man who has to be persuaded to talk about himself and not his team,

He is now among the only a handful of individuals who own 15 or more of the 1,270 McDonaldвЂ™s restaurants in the UK. He bought his own first franchise at Hockliffe near Leighton Buzzard in 2000 creating I&A Restaurants Ltd. Ismail rose up the promotion ladder within McDonaldвЂ™s and eventually decided to go down the business owner pathway. Ismail Anilmis is opening his 15th McDonaldвЂ™s franchise this month - a very BIG Mac deal for a man who started flipping burgers at the Bedford High Street restaurant when it first opened in January 1981. A former member of the BID board, Ismail and team are great supporters of Love Bedford. BedfordBID supporter Ismail Anilmis started his McDonaldвЂ™s franchise group in the High Street, Bedford.

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