The president of McDonald’s has come out fighting after criticism of the fast food chain’s new $5 meal.
But he wasn’t so forthcoming about a big catch that has emerged for customers in many parts of America.
Customers will get a total of four items – a McDouble or McChicken sandwich, small fries, small soda and four McNuggets – when the offer launches at restaurants on Tuesday (June 25).
It was thought that not every restaurant will offer this deal, with restaurants with higher labor and rental costs opting out.
But it has now emerged that McDonald’s has found a devious way around this: charging $6 at select restaurants Alaska, California, Guam, Hawaii, NevadaManhattan in New York and Washington.
The McDonald’s deal will go on sale for a week on Tuesday, June 25
Some fans are also disappointed that the deal only lasts a month instead of all summer like rivals’ deals.
Not only that, McDonald’s was beaten by rivals who were the first to win valuable deals.
Burger’s King’s nearly identical $5 offering launched last week, while Wendy’s and Starbucks also recently rolled out breakfast deals.
“We are committed to winning the war of values,” said Joe Erlinger, president of McDonald’s USA, in an interview with Bloomberg News on Thursday.
McDonald’s also brought back its “Free Fries Friday” app, which allows customers to get a free medium fry with a minimum purchase of $1 through the end of 2024.
After news of the McDonald’s deal leaked in May, rivals advanced their offers — even exploring the home of the Big Mac.
Burger King’s boss promised in a letter to franchisees to introduce their $5 meal “before they do.”
True to his word, the new $5 Your Way Meal landed in restaurants last week.
Customers get a choice of three sandwiches – a Whopper Jr, a Bacon Cheeseburger or Chicken Jr – plus four chicken nuggets, fries and a soft drink.
Wendy’s launched a $3 breakfast offer and mocked the competitor on social media for stealing their ideas.
Starbucks also surprisingly joined the value war with a coffee and food breakfast combo starting at $5.
In the interview with Bloomberg, Erlinger said he is focusing more on McDonald’s than his rivals.
He said the size of McDonald’s – the newest chain in America by revenue – gives it an edge over smaller rivals. The cost of adding fries and drinks to a burger was small, he said.
It’s not something franchisees all agree on. They operate nine out of 10 McDonald’s and are concerned that customers will trade down from a more expensive Big Mac meal to a $5 value meal, which will not generate a profit for many restaurants.
McDonald’s made an eye-watering profit of $14.5 billion last year.
Erlinger wrote an open letter to customers claiming that the price increases are not as bad as some media reports
McDonald’s is desperately trying to combat the perception that it has raised prices so much that it is no longer good value.
Last month, Erlinger even wrote an unprecedented open letter to customers claiming that the price increases are not as bad as some media outlets are reporting.
In the letter, he says prices at the 14,000 U.S. restaurants have increased “only” 40 percent since before the pandemic.
The letter was intended to calm the furore surrounding the rising cost of fast food – which is now so high that four in five Americans consider it a luxury.