McDonald's is preparing for 2025 to deal with possible difficulties.

On October 11, Eastern Time, McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski warned at the Boston College CEO Club event that low-income customers will continue to face economic pressure at the end of this year and the beginning of 2025.

Kempczinski mentioned that McDonald's is starting to consider plans for 2025, telling the team to prepare for another challenging year and ensure a strong value proposition in all markets.

In June of this year, McDonald's launched a $5 combo aimed at meeting the needs of low-income and middle-income customers struggling with high inflation and high interest rates.

This combo includes a McDouble or a McChicken sandwich, 4 chicken pieces, small fries, and a small drink. Due to the popularity of the value meal, McDonald's decided to extend the promotional combo until the end of the year. However, Kempczinski mentioned that the combo may be adjusted.

Earlier in July, McDonald's reported that due to weakening customer spending intentions, its quarterly same-store sales experienced the first decline in nearly four years. The data for that month also showed an increasing number of consumers overdrawing credit cards, with credit card debt unexpectedly surging to the largest increase since January, leading to a nearly 27 billion USD increase in consumer credit total, marking the largest monthly increase since 2022.

For low-income families, the economic situation will only become more difficult by the end of this year. The latest consumer report from Goldman Sachs shows that after surveying 2000 consumers, many people are beginning to seek more cost-effective options due to the challenging economic conditions.

Looking ahead, mcdonald's will release its third-quarter financial report on October 29. Some analysts believe that the tension in the Middle East may push up oil prices, bringing the possibility of inflation to the usa.