1143 ET - Inflation-weary diners are willing to splurge on a side of fries. French fries are the most-ordered item at U.S. restaurants, appealing to a broad range of consumers Lamb Weston CEO Mike Smith says on a call with analysts. "The fry-attachment rate, or how often someone orders fries with their meal, remains approximately 2 percentage points higher than before the pandemic," he says. "What that means is that when people go out to eat, they are ordering fries more often than in 2019." French-fry popularity is also growing internationally, as global fry-volume growth has outpaced total food growth versus 2019, according to Smith. Shares rise 4.2%. (connor.hart@wsj.com)

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

September 30, 2025 11:43 ET (15:43 GMT)

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