A McDonald’s restaurant in El Sobrante, California, on Oct. 23, 2024.
David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images
In like a lion, out like a lamb.
That’s how restaurant executives envision 2025 after a rough start to the year, largely caused by freezing temperatures, wildfires and consumer caution.
Many restaurant chains, like Restaurant Brands’ Burger King and Popeyes, said sales improved in the fourth quarter as value offerings brought back diners who had been cooking at home instead. Even McDonald’s domestic traffic grew, despite a 1.4% decline in U.S. same-store sales.
But the trend reversed in January.
“We’ve started the year facing some overall industry traffic headwinds, exacerbated by significant weather events across the country,” Wendy’s CFO Kenneth Cook said on the company’s conference call on Thursday.
Fast-food net sales rose 3.4% in January, compared with the year-ago period, but the growth was down slightly from December’s…
