Burger King parent beats expectations as sales climb

Burger King’s performance helped profit at parent firm Restaurant Brands hit $9.6m (£6.2m) for the three months to the end of June.

The company that owns Tim Hortons and Burger King said sales were up at both restaurant chains last quarter, enough to justify a dividend increase. McDonald’s last week said sales fell 2 per cent in the U.S.

The deep fried chicken strips, first launched in 2005, were taken off the menu in 2012, but were reintroduced after customers demanded their return.

The campaign was so successful the company brought them back this year.

The owner of Tim Hortons and Burger King beat analyst expectations in the second quarter on strong sales of new products such as dark roast coffee and chicken fries. That was down from $75.1 million, or 21 cents per share, in the year-ago period.

Restaurant Brands opened an additional 141 Burger King locations around the world as well as another 52 Tim Hortons.

The shares rose 1.5 percent to $40.09 in New York on July 24.

Restaurant Brands worldwide earned $9.6 million, or 5 cents per share.

The foodservice company also hiked its quarterly dividend to 12 cents per share, up from 10 cents.

Not including one-time items, the company earned 30 cents per share. Analysts predicted 25 cents on average, as indicated by data compiled by Bloomberg.