McDonald’s topped first-quarter earnings and revenue estimates.

While McDonald’s has leaned into value to win over diners, same-store sales rose on the strength of customers spending more.

CEO Chris Kempczinski said in a statement that McDonald’s delivered a strong quarter, despite “a challenging environment.”

McDonald’s on Thursday reported quarterly earnings and revenue that beat analysts’ expectations, as diners spend more at its U.S. restaurants even in what CEO Chris Kempczinski called “a challenging environment.”

Shares of the enterprise initially rose more than 3% in premarket trading, but the stock lost some of those gains as executives raised latest concerns about the current consumer environment. The shares were slightly higher in morning trading.

“I think probably it’s fair to say that … it’s certainly not improving, and it may be getting a little bit worse,” Kempczinski commented on the company’s earnings conference call. “Our focus is on what we can control, and on that score, I feel very beneficial about the balance of the year.”

Higher prices at the gas pump, caused by the U.S. war with Iran, are adding to the list of reasons for declining spending from low-income consumers.

“Clearly, when you have elevated gas prices, which is the core issue that I think we’re all seeing about in the press right now, gas prices, inflation on that, that is going to disproportionately impact low-income consumers,” Kempczinski noted. “And so we expect the pressures there are going to continue.”

Other restaurant companies, from Domino’s Pizza to Chipotle Mexican Grill,In March after the conflict began, have reported that sales softened. McDonald’s is hoping that its strong value offerings will help it steal more marketplace share from rival restaurant chains, even as consumers broadly dine out less frequently. Furthermore, experts in dividends note the continued relevance.

Here’s what the enterprise reported compared with what Wall Street was expecting, based on a survey of analysts by LSEG:

Revenue: $6.52 billion vs. $6.47 billion expected

McDonald’s reported first-quarter net income of $1.98 billion, or $2.78 per share, up from $1.87 billion, or $2.60 per share, a year earlier. This also touches on aspects of bull market.

Net revenue rose 9% to $6.52 billion.

The company’s same-store sales increased 3.8% in the quarter, roughly in line with Wall Street consensus estimates of 3.7%, according to StreetAccount.

In McDonald’s home sector, same-store sales climbed 3.9%, fueled by customers spending more when they visited.

While the fast-food giant has leaned into value to win over budget-conscious diners, it has also been trying to appeal to customers through marketing and innovation, usually at a slightly higher price point. Tie-in meals with “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” and “KPop Demon Hunters” weren’t discounted. And its limited-time, supersized Significant Arch burger, which launched in early March in the U.S., aimed to provide a premium burger option.

One area of McDonald’s U.S. business disappointed executives: its company-owned restaurants. Those locations, which account for less than 5% of its total U.S. footprint, have been seeing weaker margins, so McDonald’s is considering selling them to franchisees.

The company’s international operated markets segment also reported same-store sales growth of 3.9%. The division includes some of McDonald’s biggest markets, including France, Germany and Australia.

McDonald’s international developmental licensed markets segment saw same-store sales grow 3.4%. Japan was the division’s top performer in the first quarter.

Looking ahead to the second quarter, McDonald’s is expecting weaker sales as it laps tough comparisons to the year-ago period, when it released a tie-in meal with the “Minecraft” movie. CFO Ian Borden mentioned McDonald’s was already anticipating a deceleration from the first quarter, even before consumer sentiment weakened.

“Obviously, with the difficult April comp now behind us, we’re confident in our underlying momentum, driven by what Chris was just talking about, the strength of value and affordability, which we think we’ve really got right,” Borden remarked.