In response to customer backlash, McDonald’s is compelled to introduce a $5 meal deal to regain customer satisfaction.
The fast-food brand adjusts menu following customer backlash
McDonald’s, one of the leading fast-food chains, has recently made adjustments to its menu.
This comes after customer backlash and a decline in customer visits.
The company introduced a new meal deal priced at $5.
This aims to attract more customers and combat the perception that McDonald’s is expensive.
However, despite the initial expectations, the $5 value meal deal failed to have the desired impact on customer numbers.
Expert skepticism about the fast-food brand $5 meal deal
Fast food expert Peter Saleh, who analyzes visitor numbers, expressed skepticism about the $5 meal deal.
He doubts its effectiveness in driving profitable incremental traffic.
He suggested that McDonald’s would need to revise its strategy and extend the deal to achieve the desired results.
The primary objective of the offer was to change Americans’ perception of McDonald’s as an expensive option, while also attracting more customers.
McDonald’s considers extending $5 meal deal and other promotions
The chain is considering extending the $5 meal deal until September to allow more time for customers to respond and evaluate its impact on customer numbers.
The famous fast-food brand is currently considering this potential time extension.
Individual franchises are being encouraged to participate even if the offer is not extended nationally.
Several franchise owners, including those in Denver, Dallas, Phoenix, and Las Vegas, have already voted to extend the $5 meal deal.
McDonald’s president, Joe Erlinger, mentioned in a recent interview that the company expects to continue offering other promotions, such as free fries on Fridays, throughout the summer.
They introduced the $5 meal deal in response to the increasing number of deals by competitors like Burger King and Wendy’s.
The deal includes options like a McChicken or McDouble, four-piece chicken nuggets, fries, and a drink, aiming to provide customers with meaningful value.
Initially, there were concerns that not all McDonald’s restaurants would offer the deal due to higher labor and rent costs.
However, McDonald’s found a solution by allowing managers in states with higher costs, such as Alaska, California, Guam, Hawaii, Nevada, Manhattan New York, and Washington, to charge $6 instead.
Remarkably, a $5 value meal deal was planned to last for approximately a month.
McDonald’s and competitors introduce deals to address declining customer numbers
McDonald’s, a company that made a significant profit of $14.5 billion last year, is not the only fast food chain rolling out deals in response to declining customer numbers.
Burger King introduced its $5 Your Way Meal, similar to McDonald’s deal, followed by Wendy’s with a $3 breakfast offer and a four-item $5 meal.
Starbucks surprised the market by entering the value war with a coffee and food breakfast combo starting from $5.
The chain is striving to combat the perception that it has significantly raised prices and is no longer offering good value.
In a letter to customers, Joe Erlinger highlighted that McDonald’s prices in the 14,000 US restaurants have risen about 40% since before the pandemic.
He disputed claims of excessive price hikes.