A McDonald’s customer was miffed to discover that some locations automatically upgrade items to a large if customers don’t specify a size.
TikTok user Reggie (@williarc1) posted about his experiences with the unrequested upgrades in a series of videos.
In the first video, Reggie records the process of ordering a 10-piece McNuggets meal in the drive-thru. He doesn’t indicate what size he wants for the meal, nor does the employee ask. However, the confirmation screen that appears when Reggie completes his order lists the meal as a large.
“This happens every day at multiple locations, padding profits by thousands,” Reggie writes in the caption. “I started recording when I noticed my meals were being upsized without me asking.”
In another video that’s accrued over 100,000 views, Reggie includes his conversation with McDonald’s employees about why he was automatically being given a large meal.
@williarc1 ♬ original sound – Reggie
The TikTok shows a static image of a McDonald’s exterior. An on-screen caption reads: “McDonald’s is stealing your money!! (Audio only; this is a prior visit).”
In the recording, Reggie says he was “upcharged to a large” for an item he ordered. A worker explains that upgrading an item to a large one is automatic if customers don’t specify a size.
“I mean, if you don’t say large, that’s just automatically what it’s going to do,” the worker says, adding, “Yeah, if you don’t say a size,” after Reggie asks for clarification.
Reggie asks if the practice is “standard for every McDonald’s,” and the worker confirms that it is. Reggie then asks to speak to a manager. After listening to Reggie’s concern, the manager explains that she decided on the default size option. “If the customers don’t specify what size, make it a large,” she says. “That’s per my request.”
After confirming the manager’s name, Reggie says: “So, the last time that I was here, the same thing happened, and I called about it, and they said that should not be happening.”
The manager tells Reggie that the other worker can change the size of his order if he’d like. Reggie agrees but says automatically upgrading items is “scamming people out of money.” The manager and customer have a brief back-and-forth over the policy before the manager repeats that the size of Reggie’s meal can be changed without issue.
Reggie agrees, saying, “Yeah, that’s fine. Let’s do this—” before the manager walks off, according to the on-screen caption, and the video ends.
In the comments section, many viewers agreed that large should not be the default item size.
‘I thought it was medium by default,” one viewer said.
“If a customer doesn’t say which size, the employee should confirm which size,” a second reasoned.
“Umm no if you don’t say large make it a medium I used to work at McDonald’s,” another wrote.
However, others argued that Reggie should have specified what size he wanted or corrected the issue upon seeing the order confirmation screen rather than waiting until he got to the pay window.
“If you look at the window and it charges you more, you should address that before you pay,” a commenter said.
“Me and my bf just always say medium after we say our meal,” another shared. “they probably just assumed cuz you didnt say… dont think they are stealing.”
McDonald’s menu prices vary by location, according to Mc-Menu. For instance, the website reports that the national average cost of a medium Big Mac meal is $8.64, but its lowest price is $6.19 in Ohio, and the highest is $11.79 in Massachusetts.
The price differences between sizes also vary, but large meals always cost more. For example, a medium Big Mac Meal—the default size selection in the McDonald’s app—costs $8.99 in a Louisville, Kentucky, McDonald’s location. If diners select a large, it’ll cost them 80 cents more at $9.79, which the Daily Dot confirmed while placing an order.
The Daily Dot contacted McDonald’s via email and Reggie via TikTok comment for further information.
