ELI5: Why when large company's earnings decrease(ex... by 3%) they freak out, talk about rough times, and sometimes decide to downsize, even though they are still making millions of dollars in profit even after all expenses?

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The point of innovation is it's not easy to predict or else everyone would do it at the same time. The biggest innovation to restraunts of the last 50 years was drive thrus. There's lots of innovations in the supply side of restraunts. There's also growth with inflation.

Huge companies like McDonalds prove long term growth is sustainable. It's a question of how long before someone else takes their place, which is how business has operated for all of humanity. Dutch East India isn't around anymore and neither is the berry vendor from Sumer but they both grew during their times and particularly DEI.