McDonald’s customers in the United States are unhappy with the trap brought by the $5 meal plan that the fast food chain is launching to attract customers to stores amid a cost of living crisis caused by inflation.
According to CNBC, the menu for the recently announced promotion would include four dishes for $5 — a McChicken or McDouble, four-piece chicken nuggets, fries and a drink — but there’s a catch.
The $5 meal deal will be valid starting June 25, but the offer will only last about a month, according to a source familiar with the matter.
More and more Americans are choosing to eat at home due to high inflation rates which have directly affected the price of fast food. A standard McDonald’s Quarter Pounder with Cheese meal now costs about $11.99 — up from $5.39 a decade ago, according to the personal finance site. FinanceBuzz.
McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski said the company needs to be “laser-focused on affordability” during a recent earnings conference call.
“I think it’s important to recognize that all income groups are looking for value,” Mr. Kempczinski said. “What we don’t have in the United States right now is a national platform of values.”
However, some consumers were disappointed by the news that the promotion would only last for a month, despite what the CEO said about different income recognition.
“That doesn’t really seem like a commitment to its customers to me. Putting it on the menu and leaving it there feels like a commitment,” said one X user, reacting to the news.
Another user said it was “almost like a slap in the face to consumers to introduce us to a $5 meal for a limited time only – when all the time until recently you could get all this food for $5 ALL the time. »
Someone else asked: “Why bother then?” if the promotion only lasts a very limited period.
Many people on social media also compared this new $5 deal to fast food competitor Wendy’s’ $5 “Biggie bag,” which includes a similar number and type of items.
“So McDonald’s is offering a $5 meal deal for a month,” another dollars. So unless McDonald’s makes it permanent, people will go to Wendy’s to get a meal deal.
The fast food giant’s global sales have slowed over the past year, according to Bloomberg.
The meal may include a McChicken or McDouble with fries and a drink, a source told Bloomberg. The Coca-Cola Company also offered to provide financing to help implement the operation.
McDonald’s shares rose 2.7% on May 10 following the announcement of the $5 Meal Deal, its biggest daily rise since January 2023.
Others aren’t too happy with the price of the limited menu, with one X user saying, “It used to be a dollar menu.” Inflation has just started.
“I remember a cheeseburger was 39 cents…and I’m not that old…” said another.
However, the company risks facing significant difficulties in convincing American franchisees to deploy this offer. Earlier this year, 95 percent of franchisees rejected the $5 meal offer due to fears of further loss of revenue.
This has been particularly problematic for McDonald’s locations in California, where a new law requires fast food workers to be paid at least $20 an hour.
After that law took effect in April, fast food restaurants across the state raised their prices.
In a statement to CNBC released Wednesday, McDonald’s said: “We know how much it means to our customers when McDonald’s delivers meaningful value and communicates it through national advertising. This has been true since our beginnings and it has never been more important than today.
yahoo
