It’s hard to serve a Big Mac without the bun.
A truckers’ strike in Brazil over higher diesel prices has left at least one McDonald’s in Copacabana struggling to serve its customers. The last perishable food delivery received at the restaurant was May 18, manager Yladian Barbosa told O Globo newspaper. On Wednesday alone, that meant a loss of 18,000 reais ($4,960).
Arcos Dorados got about 45 percent of its revenue from its Brazilian McDonald’s chain stores last year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The Buenos Aires-based company didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Brazil’s state-owned oil company, Petrobras, tried to appease truck drivers with a 10 percent cut in the price of diesel Wednesday. It didn’t work. Not only are the drivers refusing to get back in their trucks – Petrobras is trading down 9.3 percent pre-market in the U.S.
It’s a tough time for Brazil, still struggling to emerge from its worst-ever recession and saddled with a currency that recently hit a two-year low.