"Boycotts Against Israel Are Hurting Starbucks and McDonald’s Sales Worldwide" 30 July 2024

McDonald’s and Starbucks have both reported declines in sales and profits — and both corporations blame boycotts by supporters of Palestine amid Israel’s war in Gaza as a factor in their weak results...

McDonald’s yesterday reported that its global sales declined for the first time since 2020... Starbucks announced Tuesday that sales in North American stores dipped 2 percent, and sales in the rest of the world dipped 7 percent....

The chief executives of both corporations cited the conflict in Gaza when discussing problems the businesses face...

Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions — a Palestinian-led movement to oppose Israel’s occupation and apartheid in Palestine — celebrated the dip in McDonald’s earnings on their social media accounts, writing, “#BDS is working!” ...

"McDonald’s Israel provided free meals for Israel’s forces during #GazaGenocide against 2.3 million Palestinians, and the company with its dozens of branches has for decades fed apartheid Israel’s war chest,” the group said...

Calls to boycott McDonald’s also began days after October 7, when the fast food giant’s Israeli franchisee announced on social media it had “donated and continues to donate tens of thousands of meals to IDF units, the police, hospitals, residents around the strip and all rescue forces,” referring to the Israel Defense Forces.
Kempczinski [McDonald’s CEO] defended his company amid the McDonald’s boycott in a January LinkedIn post, blaming hits to stores internationally on “the war and associated misinformation.”