McDonald's customers cutting back on ordering fries with burgers

Fewer McDonald's customers are ordering fries with their burgers and ordering delivery as people cut back on spending amid a likely looming recession, according to CEO Chris Kempczinski.

Kempczinski said they are seeing a slight decrease in the number of orders per transaction in most of their markets around the world, but it's still going down.

Kempczinski added that the economic environment in Europe was "more challenging" than in the US, but that things were "looking better" than they did in the fall.

Last summer, McDonald's reported that some diners, particularly those from the lower-income bracket, have been trading down to value offerings and ordering fewer combo meals.

Another part of McDonald's operations that appears to have taken a hit is delivery. Delivery is typically more expensive than eating in or ordering food to takeout because of the delivery fees added to customers' orders.

The growth of delivery has certainly slowed, according to Kempczinski.

Nonetheless, McDonald's is still a "beneficiary" of the slowing economy as people switch to the chain to save money, said its CFO Ian Borden.

Despite customers buying less, McDonald's US comparable sales were up 12.6% in the quarter, which it attributed to increases in both menu prices and the number of diners. Total global revenues were up 4%.

Kempczinski emphasized that the consumer demand for McDonald’s remains strong.