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

McDonald’s plans to introduce a $5 meal menu in an effort to attract customers who have become overpriced by the chain’s rising menu prices, who now see a Big Mac meal costing as much as $19.

While details of the wallet-friendly offering are still vague, it’s believed the options could include a McChicken or a McDouble, along with fries and a drink, 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 y’all it’s okay to charge so much for your food?!,” one TikToker asked, while another noted that several pounds of potatoes can be bought for the same price as it costs to buy a single hash. brown.

TikTok users criticized the chain’s high prices, with some noting the exorbitant costs

One TikToker noted that several pounds of potatoes can be purchased for the price it costs to buy a single hash brown

At one location of the popular fast food chain, a Double Quarter Pounder meal cost $18.99, which would have been well over $20 after the tax was added

At one location of the popular fast food chain, a Big Mac meal cost $17.59, which would have been well over $19 after the tax was added.

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

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

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

The company has increased prices by about mid- to high-single-digit percentages over the past year in response to rising costs of eggs and other raw materials, as lower-income budgets remain under pressure.

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

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

Over the past decade, the average cost of an assortment of typical menu items at McDonald’s has doubled. The photo shows the items that have increased in price the most

Complete list of price changes for popular McDonald’s items. On average they increased by 100 percent

A Quarter Pounder with Cheese Meal and an Oreo McFlurry will cost approximately $16.50 in 2024

CEO Chris Kempczinski has emphasized the need for affordability amid rising costs and inflation

Overall, the Chicago-based burger joint has doubled menu prices over the past decade, which is more than three times the rate of U.S. inflation.

Some menu items have risen particularly quickly over the past decade.

A McChicken cost just a dollar in 2014, but is now three times as expensive FinanceBuzzwhich collected prizes 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 will be $3.19 in 2024.

Other items are less vulnerable to price increases. The cost of a medium drink rose less than inflation: $1.29 a decade ago, but still only $1.61 today.

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

By comparison, grocery costs have only risen 26 percent, while the overall consumer price index (CPI) has risen 19 percent in that time.

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

Global comparable sales growth fell for the fourth quarter in a row to 1.9 percent, with the company saying consumers were “becoming more discriminatory with every dollar they spend.”