McDonald’s Is Dropping a Limited-Time $5 Value Meal Deal

McDonald’s has confirmed to multiple outlets that it indeed bringing a $5 to its restaurants in June. But it comes with a major catch. 

After years of rising prices, which led to inflation-induced frustration by customers, McDonald’s says it’s rolling out a $5 combo meal on June 25. According to CNBC, an unnamed source said that with the deal, guests can snag a McChicken or McDouble, four-piece chicken nuggets, fries, and a drink. 

“We know how much it means to our customers when McDonald’s offers meaningful value and communicates it through national advertising. That’s been true since our very beginning and never more important than it is today,” a McDonald’s spokesperson additionally shared in a statement to CNBC. 

It’s a big departure from the $18 Big Macs people have been posting about on social media, and certainly a win for every weary consumer. However, here’s that catch we were talking about — the deal is only for a limited time and is expected to last for about a month, according to Quartz. 

But, as the Wall Street Journal noted, the deal will likely mean franchise owners could lose serious cash, even if it is just for a month. However, the Wall Street Journal obtained an internal email that stated Coca-Cola, the beverage supplier to McDonald’s restaurants, will be kicking more than $4 million to subsidize some costs. A spokesperson for Coca-Cola shared with The Journal that it “routinely works with its customers on marketing programs to meet consumer needs.” 

While it’s still a brief deal, it may just be the one McDonald’s franchise owners need just as much as their customers do. 

“Our sales and guest-count momentum has slowed considerably,” a McDonald’s owner said in an internal email to other franchise owners, which was also obtained by the Wall Street Journal.  “The fact is that we’ve lost our momentum, and we need to get it back.”

And when that owner says momentum has “slowed considerably,” they mean it. On May 15, Food & Wine reported on a new consumer survey by Givex, a Toronto-based data analytics and customer engagement platform, which showed that almost half (47%) of American respondents said they went out to eat at restaurants less often in the past year than they did the year before, and almost two-thirds (60%) said they are preparing more meals at home. A significant majority (78%) also state that higher menu prices had made dining out “more challenging.” But, at least for a few weeks, maybe this meal deal can help.