Coronavirus: Cafes and restaurant chains see change in consumer habits after lockdown
McDonald's and Starbucks say drive-through services are up as customers start to return after the coronavirus lockdowns.
Wednesday 29 July 2020 09:03, UK
Some of the world's largest restaurant and cafe chains have reported seeing a change in consumer habits after lockdown restrictions were eased globally.
McDonald's said stores with drive-through windows were recovering more quickly as customers try to limit contact with each other, while restaurants in urban locations, shopping centres and tourist destinations were having a harder time.
Similarly, Starbucks said it was relying more on its delivery and drive-through services to make up for lost business in stores.
Restaurants and coffee chains have taken a big hit from government-imposed restrictions around the world to check the spread of the pandemic.
McDonald's said it has now reopened 96% of its 39,000 restaurants worldwide.
In its second quarter results, the fast food chain said revenues fell by 30% to £2.92bn, which brought down profits by 68% to £375m.
Despite same-store sales falling by 9% in the US, the company's biggest market, sales in Australia and Japan are already running ahead of 2019, according to the New York-listed firm.
Chris Kempczinski, chief executive of the company, said: "McDonald's has learned to adjust our operations to this new environment."
Meanwhile, Starbucks continued to open 130 net new cafes despite swinging to a loss during its third quarter.
The Seattle-based company said it was optimistic about the recovery in its next quarter despite global same-store sales falling by 40% during the previous three months.
Starbucks reported a net loss of £524m, down from $1.37bn profit in the same quarter in 2019. Revenues also fell by 38% to $4.22bn.