When is a dollar menu not a dollar menu? If nothing on the menu is available for one buck then what is the point of advertising it as such?
For years now, McDonald’s has been the epitome of more bang for your buck when it comes to fast-food orders. But over the last few years, particularly as food prices rise across the board, it seems like affordability isn’t a big concern for the chain.
McDonald’s first started offering cheap meal bundles as early as 1958, according to Eater. After Wendy’s began offering its “Dollar Value Menu” in 1989, the Golden Arches officially followed suit, launching its first national value menu in 2002.
But if you use the fast-food giant’s official app you may not find any one-dollar values anymore—a fact pointed out by TikToker Yoolee (@morefooyoo) in a video posted last month.
When a Dollar Menu is no longer a dollar
In it, Yoolee points out that nothing on the company’s “$1 $2 $3 Dollar Menu” actually costs a dollar. The video, posted on June 16, currently has over 744,800 views and counting as of Monday.
“Hello, McDonald’s, you McF***ers, this is your $1 $2 $3 Dollar Menu— I don’t see anything that’s a dollar,” she claims.
McDonald’s website does not list prices for the app online. Instead, it states, “Prices and participation may vary.”
Yoolee shows a screenshot that appears to be from the company’s app. It lists the price of a McChicken as $3.59. The McDouble is listed at the same price point. French fires list as $2.79. A four-piece of McNuggets is listed as $3.19.
“Do you see anything that’s $2?” she asks.
“Cause $2.79 does not count as two dollars,” she states. “And since when did your McChicken cost $3.59, WT …?”
The Daily Dot has reached out to McDonald’s via email for a statement.
@morefooyoo It’s been like this for months. FIX IT. #greenscreen @McDonald’s #mcdonalds ♬ original sound – Yoolee
Yoolee seems to be pointing out something fast food customers have known for a while. McDonald’s doesn’t seem to be offering the same bang for your buck that it used to.
Her viewers had something to say on the topic.
Chavez (@chavezszn) wrote, “I remember a mcchicken being 1.09$.”
“I used to buy McDonald’s because they were cheap and now it’s cheaper to buy at a restaurant,” another viewer commented.
“Mcd used to be the cheap alternative, now it’s impossible to afford regularly,” one viewer added.
Deals are no longer the same
In November 2023, the Daily Dot reported that former McDonald’s executive chef Mike Haracz told his viewers that McDonald’s value menu was going the way of the dodo.
“At a recent earnings call, McDonald’s announced that there is a lot less traffic from the value consumer and there is more trade down from higher income people now going to McDonald’s,” he said.
“It does not seem that they are targeting the value customer any more,” Haracz concluded.
In August of last year, Business Insider reported that they were unable to find anything for a dollar on McDonald’s menu, stating, “almost everything listed on the value menu was priced closer to $3, except soft drinks and sweet tea—those two items sold for $1.29. The McChicken, which was $1 in 2018, is now priced at $2.39. A McDouble is $2.99, and a small fries is $2.79.”
Another TikToker, Anna Arroyo (@anna2morrow), was reported as stating, “They are trying to capitalize on an old business model that no longer exists, and it just brings more attention to their inflated prices. The Under $3 menu would be more appropriate. I miss the days of being able to get a regular hamburger for 89¢ and a small fry for $1.”
According to The New York Post, “McDonald’s business model allows franchisees to set their own prices.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Yoolee via TikTok and Instagram Messenger for further comment.
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