Oct 14 (Reuters) - Domino's Pizza posted

better-than-estimated U.S. same-store sales for the third

quarter on Tuesday, driven by promotions and new menu items that

appealed to consumers seeking affordable dining options.

Fast-food demand in the U.S. remains pressured as sticky

inflation and economic uncertainty, along with several quarters

of menu price hikes, 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 ( DASH ) 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.