While growth was likely weaker in some areas thanks to the omicron variant, the chain entered the period having fully recovered from the pandemic's impact on customer traffic and profitability. Getting more efficient The fast-food sector has been rocked by inflation over the last few months, which creates a challenge for McDonald's and its rivals as they work to protect profitability. Given those attractive investment attributes, it's no surprise that the stock has rallied over the last year even though McDonald's faces the usual mix of challenges around market share and profitability in the highly competitive fast-food industry.