McDonald’s CEO warns rising beef prices remain a challenge as inflation stays ‘sticky’

McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski is warning that persistently high beef costs continue to strain the restaurant industry as inflation remains elevated.During the company’s third-quarter 2025 earnings call on Wednesday, Kempczinski told investors that inflation has proven to be "sticky," with beef costs running well above historical norms and price pressures expected to continue into next year."It's still a difficult environment and inflation is proving to be sticky," Kempczinski said. "I mean we're expecting to see there's going to be above average inflation next year. … We're seeing very, ver