McDonald's says will debut slimmed-down U.S. menu next month

(Reuters) - McDonald's Corp in January will cut eight food products and reduce the number of so-called Extra Value Meals on its U.S. menus in a bid to speed up service and bolster sales, Mike Andres, the company's U.S. president, said on Wednesday.

McDonald's closely watched sales at established restaurants have not posted a gain in the United States since October 2013.

Andres, who did not give specifics on which items would be removed from U.S. menus NEXT (NXT.LO)month, said McDonald's was not finished with its menu tweaks.

"There's more to come," Andres said on a conference call with investors. "We don't need to have a big menu board to offer variety."

McDonald's is rolling out its new "Create Your Taste" sandwich customization program to three U.S. markets by the third quarter of next year to better compete with popular chains like Subway and Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc , which allow diners to build their meals ingredient by ingredient.

Shares in McDonald's were off 0.6 percent at $90.84 in midday trading.

(Reporting by Lisa Baertlein in Los Angeles; Editing by Alden Bentley and Meredith Mazzilli)

WhatsAppFacebookTwitterLinkedinBeloudBluesky