The fast-food value wars have been in full swing this summer as a growing number of chains launch special meal deals to entice customers deterred by rising prices. New data reveals that one of these promotions has already become a roaring success, though fans will be disappointed to hear that it’s not likely to stay on menus for much longer.
After being bombarded with criticism over its prices, McDonald’s officially introduced a new $5 Meal Deal on June 25. It comes with a 4-piece Chicken McNuggets (170 calories), fries (230 calories per small order), a drink, and the customer’s choice of either a McChicken (400 calories) or McDouble (400 calories).
According to newly released data, the $5 Meal Deal was an immediate success. A July 11 report from the foot traffic platform Placer.ai revealed that McDonald’s saw its “busiest Tuesday of the year thus far” on launch day, “drawing 8.0% more visits than the year-to-date Tuesday average.”
“And similar patterns repeated across all days following the launch, signifying how well-received this special has been among McDonald’s fans,” Placer.ai added.
Since 2019, McDonald’s average prices have risen by 21% for Big Macs, 28% for 10-piece Chicken McNugget meals, 23% for Egg McMuffins, 20% for Quarter Pounders with Cheese, 27% for Big Mac meals, and 44% for medium orders of fries. Placer.ai noted that McDonald’s customers were probably drawn to the $5 Meal Deal in light of these price hikes.
“These deeply discounted prices are likely to be particularly appealing to customers against the backdrop of McDonald’s rising menu prices, which have been significantly impacted by inflation. Indeed, foot traffic to the chain jumped following the $5 special launch, with visits to McDonald’s exceeding year-to-date daily visit averages,” the report read.
Unfortunately, McDonald’s fans don’t have much longer to enjoy this popular discount because the meal will only be available for a limited time. While McDonald’s hasn’t revealed exactly how long the $5 Meal Deal will remain on menus, an anonymous source told CNBC in May that the promotion will only be available for about a month.
That’s a much shorter time period compared to other meal deals and value offers that have debuted this summer. Burger King’s similar $5 Your Way Meal, for example, is slated to stick around all summer, while Sonic’s new $1.99 Menu will be available permanently.
So if you’ve come to love McDonald’s new $5 Meal Deal, or haven’t gotten the chance to sample it yet, make sure to enjoy it while you can.
Zoe Strozewski
Zoe Strozewski is a News Writer for Eat This, Not That! A Chicago native who now lives in New Jersey, she graduated from Kean University in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. Read more about Zoe
