Yum! Brands (NYSE: YUM) reported earnings for the third quarter after the bell on Tuesday. Revenue went up 11% to $2.8 billion. Earnings per share rose 16% to $0.58. Global comps increased 3%.

You know, those numbers are not bad at all. As we await earnings reports, I'm sure that you, like me, are nervous. I mean, we're in the middle of a global economic slowdown fueled by a financial-system collapse, so the data this quarter is going to be particularly telling. The fact that Yum! has double-digit growth to its credit is pretty cool to see.

No, that doesn't mean I'm a bull on the markets all of a sudden, but it does show that people are still stopping by Pizza Huts and KFCs. Guess people won't give those guilty pleasures up during the monetary apocalypse, huh? And let's look at Yum!'s cash flow. While net cash from operating activities year-to-date was pretty much flat at $1.1 billion, it was more than enough to cover the capital spending and dividend obligation. As you can imagine, management highlighted the nice cash-flow generation of Yum!'s business. During a market crisis, it's the thing to do.

According to this source, Yum! beat by four pennies. Shareholders will be pleased by that, and perhaps the shareholders of Burger King (NYSE: BKC), Wendy's/Arby's Group (NYSE: WEN), and McDonald's (NYSE: MCD) can take Yum!'s performance as a good omen for their companies. I can't say that Yum! Brands is going to rocket from here based on the earnings news. But I can say that long-term investors with a lot of patience should have a winner on their hands based on the brand equity of the company and its cash-flow-generating abilities.

Disclosure: I don't own any company mentioned; positions can change at any time.