By Candice Choi

AP Food Industry Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — McDonald’s new Fish McBites failed to hook enough diners to get the fast-food chain’s U.S. sales growing in February.

The world’s biggest hamburger chain said Friday that a key sales figure was down 3.3 percent in the U.S. for the month. When excluding the extra day of sales for February of last year, which was a leap year, the company said the figure was flat. That was despite the rollout of the Fish McBites nuggets in three sizes, which were also offered as the first new Happy Meal entree in a decade.

The struggle to grow at home reflects the mounting pressures on McDonald’s, which had managed to pull away from its rivals and thrive even during the Great Recession.

Now the Oak Brook, Ill.-based chain is facing a rapidly shifting industry, with chains such as Chipotle and Panera reshaping customers’ expectations about fast food. An increase in payroll taxes that took effect in January isn’t helping.

Long-time competitors such as Burger King, Taco Bell and Wendy’s are also revamping their menus and stepping up advertising. Making matters worse, McDonald’s CEO Don Thompson, who took the helm this summer, has said that he expects overall growth in the industry will continue to be flat to down for some time.

Notably, McDonald’s also has a high bar to meet because of its past success; U.S. sales rose 11.1 percent in February of last year and 2.7 percent in 2011.

R.W. Baird analyst David Tarantino said McDonald’s U.S. results were “respectable.” He also noted that the broader industry remains pressured by other factors, such as higher payroll taxes and gas prices.