McDonald's president on inflation: Customers are 'really stretched'
McDonald's U.S. President Joe Erlinger appeared on the "Today" show Tuesday to discuss the company's $5 meal plan to help with rising fast food prices.
McDonald’s limited-time $5 meal deal will remain available longer than four weeks at many locations.
It was only slated to run about a month but a majority (93%) of McDonald’s restaurants nationwide now intend to keep it on their menus for longer, according to a message obtained by Gxstocks.
Under the $5 meal deal, customers can pick one of two sandwich options – a McDouble or a McChicken – plus small fries, four-piece McNuggets and a small soda.
The $5 meal deal is coming June 25 (McDonald's USA / Fox News)
For many U.S. locations, the extensions will make the deal run through next month, the message said.
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"This is a huge demonstration of our collective confidence in consumer affordability remaining one of the strongest pillars of our plan right now, and a doubling-down on our commitment to be there for our customers at a time when they’re looking to us," Myra Doria, national field president, and Tariq Hassan, U.S. chief marketing and customer experience officer, said in the message.
The meal deal is "meeting the objective of driving guests back to our restaurants" based on preliminary data, the McDonald’s executives said.
Bloomberg reported the extension earlier on Monday.
The extensions come after CEO Joe Erlinger told "Today" in late June as the deal rolled out that McDonald’s had some franchisees already wanting to extend it past the original nationwide window.
A McDonald's fast food restaurant is seen in Belmont, California, on April 3, 2023. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Some fast-food customers, impacted by inflation, have pulled back on visiting restaurants and in some cases chosen to eat at home instead, prompting companies like McDonald’s, Taco Bell, Burger King and others to introduce their own versions of value meal deals.
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In the message, the McDonald’s executives identified a few areas of opportunity that the fast-food chain and its U.S. franchisees can further lean into for the remainder of the year.
A McDonald's store sign is seen on October 30, 2023 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images / Getty Images)
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One of those was "strengthening our affordability plans through the rest of the year, inclusive of beverage lineups, our Digital wallet, disciplined pricing, and as we consider further extending our $5 Meal Deal."
