McDonald's reveals new $5 Meal Deal: What value menu offer includes

Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press
Updated ·4 min read
8

Fast food and burger giant McDonald's revealed details Thursday of a planned $5 value meal that was in the works last month.

McDonald's newly introduced $5 Meal Deal is "reaffirming its commitment to offering great value and affordable menu options," according to a news release.

More: Diners nibble throughout the city for EAT Detroit, raising $100,000 for SAY Detroit

The new promotion starts on Wednesday, June 25, and is available for a limited time only at participating restaurants and through its mobile app.Here's what the deal offers:

McDonald's new $5 Meal Deal starts June 25 and will be offered for a limited time.
McDonald's new $5 Meal Deal starts June 25 and will be offered for a limited time.

  • McDouble or McChicken sandwich

  • Small fries

  • 4-piece Chicken McNuggets

  • Small soft drink

McDonald's noted that the $5 Meal Deal may vary in price at some locations.“We heard our fans loud and clear — they’re looking for even more great value from us, and this summer that’s exactly what they’ll get,” said Joe Erlinger, President of McDonald’s USA in a news release. “Value has always been part of our DNA. We’re focused on living up to that legacy and offering delicious, affordable options customers can enjoy any time they walk through our doors, go through our drive-thru or place an order through our app.”In addition to the new $5 Meal Deal, other specials include:Free Fry Fridays: Now through the end of 2024 customers can get a free medium order of fries with a $1 minimum purchase through the McDonald's App.

National French Fry Day July 13: Customers can get free fries of any size, no purchase is needed.

Local McDonald's owner/operator Marissa Thrower Fisher is excited about the new $5 Meal Deal. Thrower Fisher operates three McDonald's locations in Macomb County and two in Oakland County.

"It's an opportunity not just to provide a great deal, it's going to make our customers feel valued while enjoying our iconic menu items without breaking the bank," she said.

Thrower Fisher also said the meal deal is competitively crucial while acknowledging that inflation challenges have "shifted spending habits" and "influenced consumer behavior.

"At McDonald's, we've always been pretty adaptive and the $5 meal deal initiative is crucial and will help us maintain competitive pricing, but will offer great value to our customers."

McDonald's has been doubling down against claims of significant price increases — more than inflation — of some of its popular menu items, like the Big Mac.

It all started with a social media post about an $18 Big Mac meal at a Connecticut McDonald's restaurant. The post prompted a letter from Erlinger to customers.

In the letter to customers dated May 30, 2024, Erlinger wrote they "must remain laser-focused on value and affordability."

He also wrote that reports of McDonald's raising prices beyond inflation rates are inaccurate.

"The average price of a Big Mac in the U.S. was $4.39 in 2019," Erlinger wrote. "Despite a global pandemic and historic rises in supply chain costs, wages and other inflationary pressures in the years that followed, the average cost is now $5.29. That’s an increase of 21% (not 100%)."

Erlinger also wrote that the franchisees, which account for 95% of all its U.S. restaurants, set menu prices for their restaurants "which account for the increased costs of running their businesses."

Economists have predicted a customer pullback due to the rising costs of dining out. The labor department's most recent Consumer Price Index report revealed the cost of dining out rose less than a half of a percentage point in May and is up 4% from the same time last year.

According to a May 21 CNBC report, while a group of franchisees praised the affordability of the proposed $5 deal for the consumer, they were pushing for McDonald's to make contributions for the deal for it to be sustainable for them.

Iconic soft drink company, Coca-Cola, according to CNBC, is helping McDonald's fund the promotion."Coca-Cola added marketing funds to the equation to make the deal more appealing," CNBC reported last month. In a statement, Coca-Cola said: “We routinely partner with our customers on marketing programs to meet consumer needs. This helps us grow our businesses together.”

CNBC said the financial terms of the partnership were not disclosed.

Contact Detroit Free Press food writer Susan Selasky and send food and restaurant news to: sselasky@freepress.com. Follow @SusanMariecooks on X (formerly Twitter.) Support local journalism and become a digital subscriber to the Free Press.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: McDonald's reveals new $5 Meal Deal: What value menu option includes