Category - Food & Drink
McDonald's Customer Traffic Plummets in One State After E. Coli Outbreak
McDonald's unsurprisingly took a hit following the deadly E. coli outbreak that left dozens of people sick and at least one person dead. In the days following the outbreak, customer traffic plummeted across the country, but particularly in Colorado where cases were most prevalent.
According to CNN, citing data from Placer.ai, a platform that tracks foot traffic to restaurants and retailers, customer visits to the chain dropped 6.4 percent across the country and 24 percent in Colorado last Wednesday, the day after the outbreak was reported. The following day, visits decreased by 9 percent nationwide and 31 percent in Colorado. By Friday the chasm had grown to 10 percent and 33 percent, respectively.
By Monday, Oct. 28, the company had resumed selling Quarter Pounders, which were the source of the outbreak, after the Colorado Department of Agriculture said in a statement that the beef patties used in the burgers tested negative for E. coli.
McDonald’s finance chief Ian Borden admitted in a quarterly earnings call on Tuesday that customer traffic had decreased due to an "impact in the U.S. business as a result of the food safety incident." However, the company is already working on strategies to lure back customers. In addition to leaning on the chain's popular $5 Meal Deal promotion and new Chicken Big Mac, it is also is considering a shift in advertising to emphasize the safety of its food.
CEO Chris Kempczinski likewise said during Tuesday's call: "We stand ready to do more if we need to to make sure that we are bringing the full resources of McDonald’s to bear to re-engage."
News of the outbreak was first reported on Oct. 22 when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that is was launching an investigation.
"This is a fast-moving outbreak investigation," the agency said in a statement. "Most sick people are reporting eating Quarter Pounder hamburgers from McDonald’s and investigators are working quickly to confirm which food ingredient is contaminated. McDonald’s has pulled ingredients for these burgers, and they won’t be available for sale in some states."