2024 was neither a banner year nor a disastrous one for McDonald’s, but it was undeniably eventful. The fast-food giant found itself intertwined with major cultural, political, and economic narratives, from presidential campaigns to public health scares.
The golden arches became an unlikely stage for the Republican and Democratic presidential campaigns. Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband reminisced about their working-class beginnings as former McDonald’s employees, while President-elect Donald Trump staged a photo op at a Pennsylvania McDonald’s, flipping burgers and greeting drive-thru customers.
In a more dramatic turn, a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, was the scene of a high-profile police capture this week. An employee recognized a patron as the fugitive suspected in the killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO in Manhattan, bringing a manhunt to an end.
Even Major League Baseball had a McDonald’s moment. Grimace, the company’s iconic character, became a brief good-luck charm for the Mets, fueling hopes for a Subway Series before the team’s playoff dreams were dashed by the Dodgers.
McDonald’s also faced challenges this year. Early 2024 saw public backlash over rising menu prices, which symbolized broader frustrations with inflation. The company leaned into its “pricing power,” raising prices on popular items like hashbrowns. But as consumers pushed back, sales dipped in the spring and summer, forcing executives to roll out value meals and promotional offers to recapture its base of lower-income customers.
Just as the company appeared to regain footing, an E.coli outbreak in October linked to onions in its Quarter Pounders sickened over 100 people, triggering a public relations crisis and franchisee losses. The incident cost McDonald’s an estimated $100 million and overshadowed its third-quarter earnings report.
Despite these ups and downs, Marcia Chatelain, author of Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America, says McDonald’s omnipresence makes it an inevitable part of the cultural fabric. “McDonald’s is the main character in any story of the 20th and 21st century,” Chatelain noted. “It’s one of the few institutions that everyone has a reference point for.”
From a symbol of inflation’s bite to a stage for political theater, McDonald’s continues to play a central, if sometimes reluctant, role in the story of modern American life.
Related Readings:
![iStock-1438575049 (1) [Converted]](https://www.europeanbusinessreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/iStock-1438575049-1-Converted-100x70.jpg "“Does Everyone Hear Me OK?”: How to Lead Virtual Teams Effectively")
