Are consumers changing their tune on the value of QSRs?

A recent CNN study of earnings calls and analyst notes finds that the word of the summer – on Wall Street, at least – is “bifurcation,” or the division of something into two parts. In this specific instance, bifurcation means that high-income consumers are plugging along just fine, while low-income consumers are really starting to struggle.

Indeed, 80% of American households have less cash available than they did in 2019, while credit card debt has reached a historic high. Meanwhile, a JP Morgan survey found that over 70% of low-income consumers are having a hard time making ends meet. Notably, middle-income households are also feeling pinched; 67% believe their income is falling behind the current cost of living.