Skip to content
  1. Home
  2. National Business

McDonald's store traffic falls unexpectedly as diners grow uneasy about economy

McDonald’s store traffic fell unexpectedly in the first quarter as economic uncertainty weighed on diners. The burger giant’s same-store sales, or sales at locations open at least a year, fell 1% globally in the January-March period.
Dee-ann Durbin, The Associated Press
f1cca8c16c8e3c9c1e36874f45a5d57305c3fbbe9e31774c99273c1de9c30d53
FILE - McDonald's restaurant signs are shown in in East Palestine, Ohio, Feb. 9, 2023. McDonald's reports earning on Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

McDonald’s store traffic fell unexpectedly in the first quarter as economic uncertainty weighed on diners.

The burger giant’s same-store sales, or sales at locations open at least a year, fell 1% globally in the January-March period. Without the impact of the extra leap year day in 2024, same-store sales were flat, the company said. Wall Street had been expecting an increase of nearly 2%, according to analysts polled by FactSet.

The trouble was particularly acute in the U.S., where same-store sales slumped 3.6%.

Dee-ann Durbin, The Associated Press