Surprise, surprise: $1 hamburgers are recession-friendly. While casual restaurants around the country are declaring dismal sales (and in some cases, bankruptcy), McDonalds announced that same-store sales in November jumped 7.7%, thanks in part to the company's value menu. Burger King and Subway also posted fat gains in same-store sales, and Yum! Brands, which owns Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, is projecting 10% EPS growth next year.
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Last updated December 30 2008: 6:26 AM ET