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McDonald's Out of Buns in Rio de Janeiro as Truckers Strike

McDonald's Out of Buns in Rio de Janeiro as Truckers Strike

(Bloomberg) -- 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 Holdings Inc. got about 45 percent of its revenue from its Brazilian McDonald’s last year, its biggest single market, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

“The current protest by Brazilian truck drivers is impacting commerce and retail in general in the country, and a small number of our restaurants have experienced temporary shortages of some products as a result," said Arcos Dorados spokesman Daniel Schleiniger. "We are closely monitoring the situation and have implemented contingency plans to minimize the impact on our restaurant inventories.”

Brazil’s state-owned oil company, Petrobras, tried to appease truck drivers with a 10 percent cut in the price of diesel yesterday. 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.

To contact the reporter on this story: Christiana Sciaudone in Sao Paulo at csciaudone@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Courtney Dentch at cdentch1@bloomberg.net, Scott Schnipper

©2018 Bloomberg L.P.