Fewer customers dining at McDonald’s amid E. coli scare, data finds

In the days following an E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounder hamburgers, data indicates the restaurant chain suffered a loss of business.
According to Placer.ai, McDonald’s had a 6.31% drop in customers for the week of Oct. 21 as news of the outbreak circulated. These trends were particularly noticeable in Colorado, where the chain experienced up to a 32.6% loss in customers. This data was compared to the number of customers for the same week last year.
McDonald’s saw a 2.2% drop in customers in the second quarter of 2024 compared to the same quarter in 2023. But it’s new value meal seemingly boosted foot traffic in stores in the third quarter of the year, as Placer.ai measured a 0.3% increase in customers.
Traffic at locations continued to go up into October. There was a 3.12% jump in traffic for the week of Oct. 7, followed by a 2.66% increase the following week.
Then came news from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that 90 people became ill from E. coli, including one person in Colorado who died. The CDC said most of those interviewed recalled consuming a Quarter Pounder.
McDonald’s has since said that it has ruled out its beef as a possible source for the E. coli. Health officials have zeroed in on onions supplied by Taylor Farms as a possible source for the contamination.
“McDonald’s E. coli outbreak appears to be impacting visitation trends,” said R.J. Hottovy, head of analytical research at Placer.ai. “Our data indicated a 6.4% decline in year-over-year visits on Wednesday, Oct. 23, the day after the E. coli outbreak was announced–and 9.1% and 9.4% declines on Oct. 24 and Oct. 25, respectively. The E.coli outbreak comes on the heels of a solid Q3 2024 for McDonald’s, where the chain had driven year-over-year visitation increases through its $5 Meal Deal and Collector’s Meal promotion.”
McDonald’s has since returned the Quarter Pounder to its menu after confirming its beef was not the source of the outbreak.