MCDONALD’S IN SERIOUS TROUBLE, THE RISE OF FAMILY BUSINESS YAY! EARNEST MANN’S: GOOD NEWS! PC.2 EP. 439
McDonald's Sales Slump: What It Really Says About America’s Economy
Hey, this is Earnest Mann, and today we’re cutting through the corporate PR nonsense and getting real about what’s going on with McDonald's and why its sales are tanking. This episode is based on a report by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Rob Wile from NBC dated May 1st. It’s not just about burgers and fries—it’s about how America’s economic decline, corporate detachment, and the public’s shifting spending habits are colliding.
The Bleak State of America's Corporate Food Landscape
If you've driven 300 miles across the U.S. lately, you already know—corporate fast food has taken over our highways and towns with soulless predictability. But that domination might finally be cracking. People are fed up—and not in the full-bellied sense. Americans, especially low and middle-income folks, are turning away from these mass-produced food chains and looking to support local, family-owned businesses.
McDonald's Reports Worst U.S. Sales Since the Pandemic
McDonald's just had its worst U.S. quarterly sales since Q2 of 2020, with same-store sales down 3.6%—double what was predicted. While they try to pretty it up with phrases like "economic uncertainty," let’s get real: people are broke. Especially the middle and lower classes. They're skipping breakfasts and avoiding overpriced, low-value food. The only folks still eating out like nothing’s changed? The wealthy, because they’re the only ones with disposable income left.
The Corporate Disconnect is Palpable
While regular Americans cut back, McDonald’s is focused on things like Minecraft movie promotions and plans to open 2,200 more stores. That’s right—doubling down on failure. They’re out here blaming Trump-era tariffs and rising anti-American sentiment overseas for their sinking sales, instead of facing the truth: the brand is out of step with economic reality and consumer values.
The End of the Fast Food Era?
This isn't just a McDonald’s problem. Other chains—Chipotle, Starbucks, Domino’s, Pizza Hut, and Shake Shack—are all feeling the burn. Consumers aren't buying the illusion of value anymore. They’re waking up, realizing that low-quality food at high prices is a raw deal, and that corporate culture doesn’t give a damn about their lives.
This episode isn’t about nostalgia or capitalism bashing—it’s about facing the facts. The fast food empire is collapsing, not because of political shifts or temporary recessions, but because it was built on a business model that belongs to the past. And in the words of Marie Antoinette: Let them eat value menu burgers.
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Transcript
00:00 Some say I'm a vulgar man. Hell, maybe I am. But there's often a whole lot of truth buried in vulgarity. Look, if fbombs and real talk crack your delicate little teacup, go elsewhere. There's a ton of corporatized and feminized non-offensive YouTube content out there that won't disturb your fragile sensibilities, make you flinch, or think.
00:28 But for those who can handle it, I live by the words of the late great Jimmyi Hendris. I'm the one that's got to die when it's time for me to die. So, let me live my life and say things the way I want to. If you've done any traveling by car lately, say at least around 300 miles, I don't need to tell you how incredibly bleak, sanitized, and uninteresting America's corporate eating choices have taken over the American landscape in the last 40 years, but that could be changing real soon. Hello, my name is Ernest. Thank
01:02 you for being here. Today, I want to tell you a bit about how Americans have finally had enough of corporate makeshift food and want to give their hard-earned dollars to family businesses instead. So, let's dive right in. What I'm going to do is present this story that was from Puliter Prizewinning journalist Rob While dated May 1st, who covers business stories for NBC.
01:32 Now, why in the hell NBC decided to pay a Pulitzer Prizewinning journalist for such a simplistic story is beyond me, as this certainly seems to be a waste of Mr. Wild's talent. But hey, I'm not the one making millions of dollars salary at NBC making such idiotic decisions. And we wonder why the country is bankrupt.
the height of the pandemic in: of:03:10 Jesus Christ, I'm overwhelmed by this person's profoundity. I don't believe there is anyone else in the industry that could have spoken words of such total clarity. Yes, without a CEO such as Mr. Kamzinski, despite seeing people camped out on the streets under bridges and overpasses, we could have absolutely no clue people are dealing with uncertainty.
03:43 In a follow-up call with investors, McDonald's executives said that traffic among middleincome diners fell by nearly double digits. Alongside an ongoing drop off among lowincome ones, as for example, they said more people appear to be skipping breakfast entirely to cut back on spending or eating breakfast at home.
04:11 Well, damn. Now, the drop off with the lowincome people is pretty easy to explain. They're totally broke. But as far as the middle income diners, a dropping off by nearly double digits, perhaps, although very unlikely, they're beginning to develop a conscience about supporting corporations.
04:41 Or perhaps much more likely, they're more educated and understand value and are sick and tired of throwing their money away on lowquality but high cost [Laughter] makeshifting less. They said high income traffic meanwhile remains stable. They said once again we are overwhelmed with such insight. High income traffic is remaining stable because they're not broke.
05:24 That reflects the economy at large. While less welloff customers lead in transactions to focus on essentials, wealthy consumers continue to spend freely. Yes. What part of this equation eludes you? Wealthy customers spend more freely because wealthy customers have money. Jesus Christ. McDonald's is the latest restaurant chain to report weak financial results amid signs that consumers are pulling back on discretionary spending.
06:07 Chipotle, Domino's, Pizza Hut, Shake Shot, and Starbucks all saw slowing or declining sales in their quarter with many citing particular weakness among lower income consumers. here we go again. I really most admit that the redundancy of a certain theme is really beginning to wear on me.
06:34 I'm not talking about the message per se. I'm talking about the weak candy phrases such as consuming consuming consumers. Here we go. Sorry for that. Consumers are pulling back on discretionary spending. As though that's supposed to soften or change the reality when one could simply add because everybody's broke to that statement. But I digress.
07:06 Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe I'm just too crude. After all, I'm not a Pulitzer Prizewinning journalist. Now, I need to give you this very brief message, and I'll be right back to the story. So, now is a good time to pause and grab your favorite adult beverage. You probably already know how important it is to subscribe and hit the notification bell because it makes the channel grow.
07:40 So, I'm not going to say this again. So, if you wake up in the middle of the night having nightmares because you didn't subscribe and hit the notification bell, you have only to yourself to blame. So, I'm not going to ask you again. You got that? Good. The article continues, McDonald's also reported revenues that missed forecast for the third time in four quarters.
08:11 The more volatile economics environment that's been accelerated by President Donald Trump's tariffs policies is also being failed abroad. Really? Oh Christ. Here comes the Mcshit propaganda express. On the call, company officials said that while the McDonald's brand hasn't been affected by worsening perceptions of the US by overseas consumers, its internal surveys have picked up a noticeable uptick in anti-American sentiment, particularly among diners in Northern Europe and Canada.
08:53 We have seen an increase in people in various markets saying we're going to be cutting back on purchases of American brands. They said, "Now look, you definitely won't see me wearing a mega hat anytime soon, but as far as McShit's financial problems are concerned, stop deflecting." Trump actually had really nothing to do with the financial losses of your mix brand.
09:31 That might fly with investors and shareholders, but not with any reasonably intelligent American and certainly not with me. Go pedal that somewhere else. It nevertheless maintained its fullear financial outlook, including plans to open 2,200 locations, which it said should help boost sales growth by slightly more than 2%. It said a promotional tie-in with the Minecraft movie had been a hit and that its refreshed value offerings continue to position it strongly compared with competitors. God damn it.
10:19 Okay, look, if it's even true that you're going to basically double down on your losses and find another 2,000 or so fools to invest in your sinking ship brand, it only even more clearly illustrates just how out of touch you are with Americans and their current economic hell hole. That's okay.
10:44 There were others of your ilk, you know, a few hundred years ago. I'm talking about King Lewis and Marie Anttoanet. Remember Queen Antinat's famous line concerning the starving poor? Let them eat value menu burgers, who were also completely out of touch until the guillotine blade brought them back to reality, however briefly.
11:14 Still, officials said on the call that they remained cautious about consumer sentiment. Shares of McDonald's ended, however, the day down nearly 2%. Okay, look, I'm going to wrap this up with some hopefully simple realities. A shitty child's movie and finding more fools. um I mean uh investors to keep propping up a failing brand ponsai style.
11:49 It's like suddenly having the revelation when you're on the Titanic and it's sinking that you could probably use more lifeboats. What the MShit brand either cannot see or refuses to accept is that its entire business model is predicated on a consumer mentality that was 30 or 40 years ago. It's gone.
12:16 And in your case, I say good riddens. Thank you so much for sticking around and until next Monday or Friday, this is Ernest and I usually always am
