The year McDonald’s lost its way

Last year, a McDonald’s in Darien, Connecticut, made headlines for charging $18 for a Big Mac combo — a price point that sparked backlash, Reddit rage and a larger conversation about how the country’s most iconic fast food chain lost its claim to value.

Since 2014, McDonald’s has experienced the highest price increases compared to other major chains, with menu prices doubling (100% increase) across popular items, a study from FinanceBuzz found. Fast-forward a decade later, the chain’s high menu prices remain a topic of debate, forcing McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski to announce that McDonald’s would make affordability a priority in 2024 during a Feb. 5 earnings call.

McDonald’s has been working hard to win back customers who once saw it as the cheapest meal in town — or at least as a reliable bang for their buck. The chain announced a limited-time promo meal that included a choice of either a McChicken, a McDouble or four-piece chicken nuggets, small fries and a small drink — all for just $5. It also introduced a supersized “Big Arch” burger to its menu, expanded its CosMc’s locations, revamped its Happy Meal Boo Buckets and added a new, limited-edition McFlurry flavor to its U.S. lineup.

But the brand’s attempts at buzz couldn’t fully drown out the blowback. In October, McDonald’s faced a major setback after it found itself at the center of an E. coli outbreak linked to slivered onions in its Quarter Pounders. Fourth-quarter sales at McDonald’s locations open for at least one year subsequently fell 1.4% in the United States, CNN reported in February. As pressure mounted online and in the press, executives began speaking more directly about the issue. Our performance in 2024 did not meet our expectations,” Kempczinski told analysts at the time. “It was a big year, and at times it felt like McDonald’s was part of almost every major news story, reflecting the reach and visibility of our brand.”

The chain quickly did damage control, launching a $100 million marketing campaign and aiding affected franchisees that have lost business. But even a $100 million PR blitz couldn’t fully shake the public sense that McDonald’s has lost the plot.

Amongst consumers, their main complaint with the chain remains its egregiously high menu prices. On Reddit, one McDonald’s patron based in South Carolina said they paid an extra three dollars for two breakfast burritos. And in a report published in The Street, Daniel Kline wrote that a 10-piece Chicken McNuggets meal (which came with fries and a drink) at a McDonald’s in Bradley Airport came out to be a little over $20.

“Now, everyone knows that airport restaurants face higher costs, but this markup seemed excessive,” Kline said. “The same combo, ordered through Uber Eats (which often costs more than an in-store order), cost $10.49 in Port St. Lucie, Fla.

“The airport price was nearly double the cost, which does not reflect well on McDonald’s and make[s] you wonder whether the chain should offer some sort [of] standard pricing nationwide.”

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During McDonald’s first-quarter earnings call in May, Kempczinski explained that pricing is “an inherently local decision” that’s “informed by the trading area that exists around each of our individual restaurants.”

“And our commitment and the focus is, we need to make sure that relative to the trading area that we’re competing in that we’re offering strong value, and that’s what shows up on both the menu board and that also shows up with the promotions and digital offers that we’re running,” he added.

Kempczinski said McDonald’s won’t be enacting uniform pricing, but the company will be offering more value-focused meals for inflation-weary consumers.

“I think our franchisees also recognize how important it is for us to stay disciplined on this, and we look at pass-through rates, as I described earlier, to make sure that we understand the consumers’ willingness to accept any pricing,” he said.

In addition to pricing, McDonald’s food quality has been a concern amongst consumers, many of whom allege that there’s been an overall decline in recent years. Several have taken issue with the chain’s McFlurry, expressing disappointment with its “distinct chemical sweetness taste that is truly off-putting,” per one Reddit user. Others took issue with McDonald’s Snack Wrap, which was revived earlier this month. “Chicken isn’t even bigger [than] my finger,” wrote another Reddit user, who posted a sad photo of a Snack Wrap with a measly amount of filling. “I paid for a wrap, lettuce and ranch dressing.”

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