Customers are already calling McDonald’s $5 meal deal ‘skimpy’

A McDonald’s restaurant in Encinitas, California.

Thomson Reuters

McDonald’s is reportedly planning to offer a $5 meal deal for a month this summer.But some customers are already saying that the promotion isn’t worth it. Diners are cutting back on fast food because of costs, eating at sit-down restaurants or at home.

McDonald’s is trying to win back customers with a $5 meal deal this summer. But some diners are already lampooning the offer.

The fast-food chain will start offering the deal for about a month beginning June 25 at its US restaurants, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday. The meal will come with customers’ choice of a McDouble or McChicken, as well as a small fries, four McNuggets, and a small soft drink.

But while the deal doesn’t start for over a month, some consumers already say it isn’t worth it.

One X user replied to the company’s official account to criticize the fact that it’s only a temporary promotion:

Another called the deal “skimpy,” referring to an earlier-reported version of the promotion that wouldn’t have included chicken nuggets:

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

McDonald’s is offering the promotion as a way of boosting foot traffic at its restaurants, according to the Journal. However, some franchisees are skeptical of the plan and have expressed doubt that they can offer the meal profitably at just $5.

They’re not alone. On TikTok, user sources_say questioned how McDonald’s is even able to offer the deal, citing a jump in food prices over the last few years.

“I’m not going to get that,” he says in the video. “How is this food so cheap due to inflation?”

The promotion is the latest example of how the chain is trying to cater to customers looking for good deals as food prices have spiraled during a broader sustained period of inflation. McDonald’s is limiting price increases overall in light of customers the company thinks are “price weary,” executives said on an earnings call earlier this month.

Some customers are turning to sit-down chain restaurants instead of fast food to get more for their money. Some of those chains are even taking aim at fast-food joints with new offerings, such as a new smash burger at Chili’s.