Discount hunting: the $5 meal deal from McDonald’s

All the contents of the $5 Meal Deal arranged on a table. Ryan Horner | Lariat

We’re all currently living through a massive turning point in the fast food industry right now. After decades of raising prices, many franchises have begun to race toward making the most affordable meals they can, and as someone who is always hunting for deals on food, I’m a huge fan of the movement.

I went to McDonald’s recently and tried their “$5 Meal Deal” to see how much value I could get out of my money, and let me tell you: I was not disappointed with the over 50% off price drop.

The $5 meal deal starts with an option between a McChicken or a McDouble, and I opted for the McDouble which sneakily bumped the price up to $6… which doesn’t make sense because those two items are the same price on the menu a la carte, but who am I to complain about a discount?

The choice of sandwich comes with a four piece chicken nugget, a small fry, a small drink, and one sauce. Even with the small fries and drink, the meal was still filling and not just a snack for me.

Of course the most important part about buying this is the savings you get, which came out to a total of $6.26 on the McDouble meal and $7.26 on the McChicken meal, assuming you buy all the items by themselves from the menu. Again, it makes zero sense why us cheeseburger lovers should be paying more for something that is otherwise the same price.

When all is said and done though, an over 50% discount on both variations is enough to deserve some attention and be a solid and reliable budget meal. Here’s to hoping fast food establishments continue this trend and win their customers back with these irresistible offers.

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