紐時賞析／物價漲 美國民眾仍大啖速食

Fast-Food Sales Rise Despite Higher Consumer Costs

物價漲 美國民眾仍大啖速食

Consumers have continued to pick up chicken nuggets, tacos and coffee from some of the nation’s largest restaurant chains despite concerns that higher gas prices from the war with Iran would translate into eating out less.

儘管外界擔心伊朗戰爭導致油價上漲，可能讓民眾減少外出用餐，但消費者仍持續向美國幾家最大餐飲連鎖店購買雞塊、墨西哥塔可餅和咖啡。

Since the conflict in the Mideast began more than two months ago, investors and analysts have been wary that consumers, particularly lower-income families, could cut back on their spending at restaurants. The average price of a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline rose 35% during March, according to the AAA auto club.

自中東衝突爆發兩個多月以來，投資人和分析師一直擔心消費者，尤其是中低收入戶，可能減少在外用餐的支出。根據「美國汽車協會」的數據，一般無鉛汽油三月的平均價格上漲了35%。

But over the last couple of weeks, many restaurant chains, including McDonald’s, Burger King, Taco Bell and Starbucks, reported strong sales in the first quarter of the year, suggesting that higher fuel costs did not immediately cause customers to pull back their spending.

但在過去幾個星期，包含麥當勞、漢堡王、塔可鐘和星巴克在內的許多餐飲連鎖企業，公布今年首季銷售表現都很強勁，顯示油價上漲並未立即讓顧客減少消費。

But some analysts caution the first-quarter results, which included only one month of higher fuel prices, may not reflect how consumers’ budgets are being strained as the war moves into its third month and as prices at the pump climb higher.

不過有些分析師提醒，第一季的成績僅包含一個月的高油價時期，可能無法真實反映戰爭進入第三個月、油價持續攀升之下，消費者荷包所承受的壓力。

Some chains said they had already seen some consumers pulling back. Domino’s Pizza missed analysts’ estimates, with sales at U.S. stores open for at least a year rising only 0.9% in the quarter.

部分連鎖企業表示，已看到部分消費者開始縮減支出。達美樂披薩就未達到分析師預期，美國同店銷售首季僅成長0.9%。

Executives at Brinker International, which owns Chili’s Grill & Bar, which has had 20 consecutive quarters of same-store sales growth, noted some customers were being prudent with alcohol and dessert purchases.

擁有 Chili’s美式餐廳的「Brinker國際」高層指出，雖然該品牌同店銷售已連20季成長，但部分顧客在購買酒類和甜點時已更節制。

At McDonald’s, executives said while value meal offerings continued to draw customers, despite the higher fuel prices, it warned that the spending outlook was cloudy because of the war.

麥當勞高層表示，儘管油價上漲，超值套餐仍持續吸引顧客；但公司也警告，由於戰爭影響，未來消費前景依舊不明。

Chains that have a larger higher-income consumer base, like Starbucks, reported strong sales in the quarter, while restaurants that tend to draw more lower-income households were more of a mixed bag, as that group of customers continued to spend cautiously.

像星巴克這種以較高收入客群為主的連鎖品牌，第一季銷售表現強勁；但吸引中低收入家庭為主的餐廳，因為顧客消費持續謹慎，以致業績參差不齊。

But many restaurant chains warned that continued higher fuel costs — as well as soaring beef prices — could squeeze profits and dampen consumer spending, especially among lower-income households.

不過許多餐飲連鎖企業也警告，持續高漲的油價及飆升的牛肉價格，可能壓縮獲利，並進一步抑制消費者支出，尤其是中低收入家庭。

文／Julie Creswell，譯／國際中心