McDonald’s to introduce $5 meal deal following customer complaints the fast food restaurant has become too expensive, with Big Mac meal costing up to $19

McDonald’s is planning to introduce a $5 meal menu in a bid to attract customers who have been hit by the chain’s rising menu prices, who are now seeing a Big Mac meal priced as high as $19.

Although details of the affordable offer are still vague, it’s believed options may include a McChicken or a McDouble, along with fries and a drink, it reports. Bloomberg.

The plans come after McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski stressed the importance of affordability, especially as diners become more price conscious.

TikTok users have long complained about the cost of a meal and menu items at the fast food restaurant.

‘Who told you that it was good to charge so much for food?!’ asked one TikToker, while another pointed out that you could buy several kilos of potatoes for the same price as it costs to buy a single hash. brown.

At one location of the popular fast food chain, a Big Mac meal was priced at $17.59, which would have been well above the $19 mark after taxes were added.

A Quarter Pounder meal with cheese was even more expensive: $17.99, while adding a strip of bacon was $18.99 before tax.

It’s important to note that while the prices here are considered for a single store, McDonald’s franchisees have a lot of autonomy in setting menu prices.

Big Mac prices set at $17.99 were a rest stop where costs are typically higher, but the problem is symptomatic of the price increases felt by customers across the country.

The company has raised prices by roughly mid- to high-single-digit percentages over the past year in response to an increase in the costs of eggs and other raw materials as lower-income budgets remain tight.

Another reason for the price increase is due to rising labor costs, which in turn has forced some franchisees to raise prices. New York state recently raised its hourly wage to $16, while in California workers earn $20 an hour.

It means the cost of a McDonald’s has left customers far from happy with their food, as increases outpace inflation, which was 3.5 percent in March 2024.

Overall, the Chicago-based burger joint has doubled its menu prices over the course of the last decade, which is more than triple the rate of U.S. inflation.

Some menu items have grown especially rapidly over the past ten years.

A McChicken cost just a dollar in 2014, but now it costs three times as much, according to FinanceBuzzthat accumulated prices over time.

Medium fries have more than doubled in price, from $1.59 to $3.79 this year. A McDouble cost $1.19 in 2014, but $3.19 in 2024.

Other items have been less vulnerable to price increases. The cost of a medium drink rose less than inflation: $1.29 a decade ago, but remains just $1.61 today.

Figures from the US Department of Labor show that fast food prices are 33 percent more expensive than in 2019.

By comparison, grocery costs rose just 26 percent, while the overall Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 19 percent in that time.

Last month, McDonald’s missed Wall Street estimates for first-quarter sales as budget-conscious consumers decided to cut back on restaurant meals.

Global comparable sales growth fell for the fourth consecutive quarter to 1.9 percent, and the company said consumers became “more demanding with every dollar they spend.”