[originaltext] Ever since McDonald’s adopted a strategy in 2003 that focuses

Ever since McDonald’s adopted a strategy in 2003 that focuses on improving existing restaurants and adding new menu items, the burger giant has been globally successful. Even during the latest economic downturn, its growth is not slow, and in the third quarter, its revenue and profit exceeded analysts’ expectations. [23] McDonald’s shares are up more than 63% in the last three years, having closed Monday at $98.48, and many analysts expect its stock to break $100 soon. The company beat Wall Street again last week, when it posted its 103rd month of positive global same-store sales.
    So what’s McDonald’s secret of success? For one thing, it is relying heavily on emerging markets such as China for new-restaurant growth. The company last week reported that its Asia/Pacific, Middle East and Africa division posted the strongest same-store sales growth last month of all its business units, with sales up 8.1% from the year before.
    [24] The company cited "compelling customer conveniences" as one of the growth drivers at work. One of those conveniences is adding dessert windows on the exterior of existing restaurants where pedestrians can order an ice-cream cone, instead of being in line inside the restaurant. [24] Another is delivering food by bicycle in countries like China, Egypt and South Korea.
    All over the world, the company is updating its restaurants, modernizing the decoration and adding such facilities as free WiFi and flat-screen televisions. It has also extended restaurant hours to attract customers who don’t dine during the traditional work day, and added double-lane drive-throughs to get more customers through the line more quickly.
    In the US, McDonald’s is offering snack items such as chicken wraps and small desserts throughout most of the day. That allows the chain to attract customers during the otherwise slow periods between breakfast, lunch and dinner.
    [25] The company also has added a lot of new menus items that are priced relatively high, low and in-between to appeal to a broad range of consumers. That enables the chain to appeal to everyone from the traditional fast-food addict who loves burgers to salad-chomping moms to the employee on the go who wants to grab a bowl of porridge for breakfast. Meanwhile, the high-margin items, such as strawberry lemonade, fruit smoothies, and fancy coffee drinks, have protected profits by offsetting cheaper items like $1 hamburgers.
    23. How did McDonald’s shares perform in the last three years?
    24. What "compelling customer conveniences" does McDonald’s bring to customers?
    25. What did McDonald’s do to appeal to a broad range of consumers?