McDonald's names Skye Anderson to lead U.S. business

Q2 U.S. same-store sales rise 0.8% as guest counts decline

McDonald’s picked a new leader to oversee its core U.S. business as it rolls out a strategy aimed at boosting service and quality at the world’s biggest burger chain. Skye Anderson was appointed president of McDonald’s U.S. business on Tuesday, succeeding Joe Erlinger, who had held the role since 2019. The move marked a rapid advance for Anderson, who was named U.S. chief operating officer in April after serving in a global business role.

McDonald’s U.S. same-store sales increased 0.8% in the three months ended June 30, meeting Wall Street analysts’ forecast, the company said Tuesday. That is a sharp slowdown from the 2.5% increase a year earlier, when the company had a big win with a meal tied to “A Minecraft Movie.” U.S. guest counts fell during the quarter, the company said, while check growth and sales of more higher-priced items helped. Global same-store sales rose 1.3%.

The Chicago-based chain reported revenue of $7.1 billion, about $30 million lower than analysts’ expectations. Net income rose to $2.36 billion, or $3.32 per share, for the quarter, up 5% from $2.25 billion, or $3.14 per share, a year earlier. Adjusted earnings of $3.38 per share outpaced analysts’ expectations.

Anderson, a 26-year veteran of the company, most recently served as head of McDonald’s global business services unit, where she sought to speed up and modernize operations. She previously held leadership roles in the U.S. and Australia.

She will help implement McDonald’s Next, a global business strategy the company introduced in June that includes menu upgrades, improved customer service and new store prototypes. McDonald’s has said it aims to attract a wider range of customers with options such as hand-breaded chicken and new drinks in vibrant, TikTok-friendly colors.

“While our playbook is working around the world, we see an opportunity to raise the bar in the U.S. and accelerate performance in our largest market,” Chief Executive Chris Kempczinski said. He described Anderson as “a proven change agent who can act with urgency to mobilize our system.”

The leadership change comes as the company has been working to win back customers as Americans have tightened their spending in the past two years, particularly lower-income consumers. McDonald’s has rolled out a series of deals while introducing new items such as dirty sodas and other high-margin beverages.

McDonald’s warned in May that high gas prices and consumer anxiety over the U.S. conflict with Iran could dent its sales. The U.S. average for regular gasoline reached its most recent peak on May 21 at $4.56 per gallon, according to AAA.

Erlinger had been one of McDonald’s longest-serving presidents for the U.S. business. He helped steer the company through the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as a 2024 outbreak of E. coli tied to onions served on the company’s Quarter Pounders. Erlinger was a central figure in McDonald’s efforts to rein in price increases, pledging to do more to provide value to customers. McDonald’s said Erlinger made a personal decision to leave the company after more than two decades and will help advise the business through early next year.