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%.