(Reuters) -Domino's Pizza posted better-than-estimated U.S. profit and same-store sales for the third quarter on Tuesday, driven by promotions and new menu items that appealed to consumers seeking affordable dining options. The company's shares rose 3% in premarket trading. Fast-food demand in the U.S. remains pressured as sticky inflation and economic uncertainty, along with several quarters of menu price hikes, have pushed consumers to tighten household budgets and prioritize value when dining out or ordering in. To cater to the shift in consumer spending, Domino's revived its "Best Deal Ever" promotion on August 25, offering any-topping pizzas for $9.99. It also introduced other items such as the parmesan-stuffed-crust pizza. The company's U.S. same-store sales grew 5.2% during the quarter, compared with analysts' expectations of a 4.01% rise, according to data compiled by LSEG. Domino's also benefited from its delivery partnership with DoorDash in the U.S. Its quarterly earnings per share for the three months ended September 7 were $4.08, compared with the estimate of $3.97, helped by higher order volumes. Quarterly international same-store sales growth of 1.7%, however, fell short of an estimated 1.91% rise, as the company faces choppy demand in some markets such as Japan and Australia. Revenue for the third quarter rose 6.2% to $1.15 billion, while analysts estimated $1.14 billion. U.S. company-owned store gross margin fell 0.5 percentage point from a year earlier, hurt by higher costs of some commodities such as cheese and pork. (Reporting by Anshi Sancheti and Juveria Tabassum in Bengaluru; Editing by Leroy Leo and Shilpi Majumdar)
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