We've finally got Europe addicted to McDonald's

When you think about McDonald’s core customers, you imagine them living in a place like Holland, Michigan, not a place like, well, Holland.

But McDonald’s has grown increasingly dependent on boosting sales around the world to offset its soft performance in the hypercompetitive U.S. fast-food market.

The strategy seems to be working. In a Tuesday call about the company’s most recent profit report, CEO Steve Easterbrook rattled off a series of Eurocentric data points to buttress the company’s performance.

In Germany, McDonald’s had its strongest quarterly sales numbers in a decade. In Britain, the company experienced its highest monthly sales volume in 43 years. And in the Netherlands — where the deep-fried McKrocket meat snack is on the menu — the company logged its best sales and guest numbers in more than 20 years.

“In the Netherlands our market is becoming a more meaningful part of our overall business,” Easterbrook said.

The company’s surprisingly strong profits numbers sent its stock up roughly 5 percent.

Some other takeaways from McDonald’s big day:

• The company’s core sales number rose 6.6 percent overall, but McDonald’s U.S. locations were less impressive, with sales up just 3.9 percent.
• U.S. sales have been helped recently by the company’s plan to offer $1 sodas and new higher-priced, fancier burgers.

The company’s strong second-quarter report is the latest chapter in a broader turnaround plan that Easterbrook put in place two years ago, when sales were in a tailspin.

The plan is paying off.