McDonald's just can't help themselves, can they? The fast food empire is still trying to balance the impact of inflation and retain consumer interest by throwing another hasty deal with them. According to Bloomberg, the meal will come with your choice of a McChicken or a McDouble, along with a small fry and a small drink.
McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski is throwing out corporate jargon about earnings and value to communicate the changes. He claims that the company had to be "laser focused on affordability." "I think it's important to recognize that all income cohorts are seeking value," Kempczinski adds. "What we don't have in the US right now is a national value platform."
People are Incensed Over McDonald's Menu Change
Here's the thing. People still remember the dollar menu. It's no wonder why people are picking up their pots and pans, opting to stay home and cook. According to FinanceBuzz, the Quarter Pounder With Cheese meal jumped up to $11.99, a $5.39 increase from a decade ago. Nobody loves McDonald's that much. You might as well get a real burger.
Additionally, people are also recognizing that this new $5 deal only lasts a month. You can't help but feel disrespected by a company that thinks this bandaid is going to heal the discontent with consumers. One user on X puts it succinctly, "Almost like a slap in the face to consumers to dangle a $5 meal in front of us for only a limited time - when for all of time until recently, you could get all that food for $5 ALL the time."
The tricky part of this all is that McDonald's has strategically positioned themselves as relatively innocent in this whole exchange. Instead of taking true stock in how people are reacting to their menu pricing, they get to pin the blame on minimum wage changing in California. It's a wicked form of manipulation, to push the conflict solely between the worker and the consumer. The latter accuses the former of ripping them off. The workers get berated for merely trying to survive while tirelessly servicing the customer.
People are always going to upset about how fast food prices are killing their wallets. That is the nature of capitalism in America. McDonald's has to let them complain if they aren't going to truly make a difference in how they sell to consumers. Otherwise, the spike in discontent consumers will continuously rise. Eventually, the company will see even steeper valleys in their returns.
