McDonald’s E. coli outbreak won’t have material impact, company says
McDonald’s beat earnings expectations in the third quarter, but Wall Street remains hyper-focused on its recent E. coli outbreak. Shares are up a little over 1% in early trading.
Yahoo Finance’s Brooke DiPalma has more:
Since Q3 ended on Sept. 30, the effects of the outbreak will be seen in Q4 results. Executives indicated it won’t have a material impact on the business.
So far, the E. coli outbreak has left 75 people infected and 1 person dead across 13 states. On Sunday, McDonald’s announced it will resume distribution of fresh beef patties this week to all restaurants after the Colorado Department of Agriculture ruled out that Quarter Pounder patties were the source of the E. coli contamination, leaving onions as the potential culprit.
Burger King (QSR) preventively removed onions from 5% of its restaurants despite no reported illnesses. Yum! Brands (YUM) also removed fresh onions from select Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and KFC restaurants “out of an abundance of caution,” a spokesperson told Yahoo Finance.
McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski said he believes the “swift and decisive actions” McDonald’s took should help reinforce consumer trust.
Investor sentiment, though, is mixed as bears home in on “uncertainty” around the “food safety fallout,” per a note from TD Cowen analyst Andrew Charles before the results. Meanwhile, bulls are encouraged by the relaunch of the McRib in December, a new national value platform in January, and chicken strips and wraps coming in May or June 2025.