For this Monday, May 11, the average gasoline price in the United States was at $4.52 per gallon, this as a consequence of the development of the war in Iran, which has caused the majority of American households to reduce their discretionary spending to allocate their income solely to covering basic needs.

Since inflation rose to historic levels in July 2022, Americans have been struggling with high prices for food, goods and services, gen It was that many of their spending allocated to recreation decreased. This caused that at that time sales in premises, restaurants and retail chains decreased.

Now, with fuel increasingly closer to $5 per gallon, a survey conducted by Numerator revealed that about 43% of the drivers surveyed said they reduced their expenses in restaurants or fast food chains, and according to data from Black Box Intelligence, in the last quarter traffic in the food sector fell 2.3% in March compared to last year.

To date, several restaurant executive directors have spoken out on the matter, pointing out that the increase in gasoline is affecting Udas the sales in their establishments, which poses a risk for many of these companies that have been carrying large debts since the pandemic.

Recently, McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski commented that “when there are high gasoline prices or inflation, that disproportionately affects low income consumers,” he said while noting that he anticipates the pressures will continue.

For his part, the CEO of Brinker International, owner of Chili's, pointed out that since geopolitical events began and, as a consequence, the increase in gasoline, their customers inclined to cheaper options, buying less alcohol and skipping dessert.

John Peyton, CEO of Dine Brands, parent company of Applebee's and IHOP also stated that “March and April were the weaker months compared to January and February, especially between the " a consumer who is looking to save, who stayed at home longer or ate at cheaper restaurants, and we attribute this to gasoline prices specifically and the economy in general," he told CNBC.