McDonald’s Corp.‘s (NYSE:MCD) CEO Chris Kemczynski warned that a “lot of anxiety and unease” is affecting low-income consumers, speculating that rising tariffs could be a contributing factor, as the company revised its margin outlook for the year.
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What Happened: The comments were made during the fast-food giant’s second-quarter 2025 earnings call, where it reported strong overall results but noted challenges in the U.S. market.
The company adjusted its financial guidance, with CFO Ian Borden stating, “We’re adjusting our full year margin target for company-operated restaurants to be around the 14.8% that we delivered in 2024, which we had previously targeted to increase slightly.”
He noted this revision was due to continued cost pressures, including the “expected impact from tariffs that are currently in place.”
The CEO painted a cautious picture of the U.S. consumer, particularly those with lower incomes. Kemczynski explained that while real wages have improved, “real incomes are down with the low-income consumer.”
He continued, “There is a …