Today, McDonald’s $5 Meal Deal promotion has officially begun. It includes four items: the choice of a McChicken or McDouble, a four-piece chicken nuggets, fries and a drink. “This summer, we have good news for fans across the country — McDonald’s is here to help your dollar go further with more deals and even more ways to save,” reads the press release. On June 25, the president of McDonald’s USA, Joe Erlinger, joined TODAY to discuss rising food costs and the promotion.
“I’ve zig-zagged the country, I’ve been in our restaurants, I’ve sat in focus groups — customers are telling us that they’re really stretched,” Erlinger said. “They’ve felt the stress of the inflation over the last few years, and so this is a great opportunity for McDonald’s to bring them value.”
McDonald’s is not the only fast-food chain embroiled in the fast food value wars. Earlier this month, Burger King advertised its returning $5 Your Way Meal, and other chains like Buffalo Wild Wings, Popeyes, KFC and Wendy’s have plugged their own low-cost meals, deals and other savings opportunities.
The McD’s promotion will run for 4 weeks, but in some places it could go for longer, depending on the franchisee.
“We already see some franchisees are gonna vote this further through,” Erlinger said, adding that markets like Denver, Dallas, Phoenix, Las Vegas and more have already opted to keep the value meal around for longer. “What we really want to do is talk about this nationally for four weeks and then we think it will be a local promotion for longer than four weeks,” he said.
