McDonald’s new Fish McBites failed to hook enough diners to get the fast-food chain’s US sales growing in February.
The world’s biggest hamburger chain said yesterday that a key sales figure was down 3.3 percent in the US for the month. When excluding the extra day of sales for February of last year, which was a leap year, the company said the figure was flat. That was despite the rollout of the Fish McBites nuggets in three sizes.
The struggle to grow at home reflects the mounting pressures on McDonald’s, which had managed to pull away from its rivals and thrive even during the Great Recession. Now it’s facing a rapidly shifting industry, with chains such as Chipotle reshaping customers’ expectations.
McDonald’s shares rose 1.7 percent to $98.71.