McDonald’s has appointed company veteran Skye Anderson as president of McDonald’s USA, tapping a 26-year insider to steer its largest market as domestic sales growth cools and American consumers turn more cautious with their spending.
Anderson succeeds Joe Erlinger in the role. Her promotion was announced Tuesday alongside second-quarter results that showed resilient global profit but a marked slowdown at home.
Same-store sales in the United States edged up 0.8% in the quarter, a sharp deceleration from the 2.5% gain a year earlier, when a promotion tied to the film “A Minecraft Movie” delivered a significant boost. Global same-store sales rose 1.3%.
The Chicago-based chain earned $2.36 billion, or $3.32 per share, for the three months ended June 30, up from $2.25 billion, or $3.14 per share, a year earlier. Excluding one-time items, earnings of $3.38 per share topped the $3.32 expected by analysts polled by FactSet.
Revenue climbed to $7.1 billion from $6.84 billion in the prior-year period, narrowly missing Wall Street’s estimate of $7.13 billion. Shares rose 1.6% in premarket trading following the announcement.
The results underscore the pressure facing the burger giant in its home market. Rising costs have hit lower-income Americans hardest, squeezing discretionary spending. In May, the company warned that high gas prices and consumer anxiety over the U.S. conflict with Iran could dent sales. The national average for regular gasoline peaked at $4.56 per gallon on May 21, according to AAA.
To draw budget-conscious diners back, McDonald’s has repeatedly reworked its menu and leaned on value offerings. In April it introduced a simplified McValue menu featuring 10 items priced at $3 or less, building on earlier efforts such as its $5 meal deal. The latest figures follow a run of softer domestic demand reported earlier in the year, as foot traffic proved harder to sustain.
Anderson inherits the task of reversing that slowdown while defending McDonald’s position against rivals also chasing value-seeking customers. Her appointment signals continuity at the top of the U.S. business, drawing on more than two decades of experience within the company.
The company is expected to continue expanding its value platform and menu promotions in the coming quarters as it works to stabilize domestic traffic and win back cost-sensitive consumers.