McDonald’s Launches $5 Meal Deal as Fast Food Prices Soar 33% Under Biden

 McDonald’s launched a new $5 meal deal this week to combat soaring fast food prices under President Joe Biden.

Fast food chains are under pressure to put the “value” back into a “value meal” after fast food prices soared 33 percent since 2019, according to the Department of Labor. Grocery prices, for context, increased 26 percent.

The new $5 meal includes a choice of either a McDouble or McChicken sandwich, small fries, four-piece Chicken McNuggets, and a small soft drink, Axios reported.

The $5 dollar deal contrasts the price of the Big Mac Value Meal. A Big Mac burger, a medium beverage, and a medium fries meal now costs $18 in some locations, up $10 from 2018 when former President Donald Trump was in office.

McDonald’s meal (Unsplash/Brett Jordan)

The McDouble sandwich, which costs $1.19 on average in 2014, costs $3.19, almost three times that amount. Medium fries increased from $1.59 to $3.79, the New York Postreported.

McDonald’s ten-piece McNugget meal, the $10.99 combo that includes fries and a drink, costs $5.00, 83 percent more expensive than in 2014.

“Inflationary pressures have affected all sectors of the economy, including ours,” McDonald’s USA president, Joe Erlinger, said in a rare statement in May:

Our franchisees (who own and operate more than 95% of all restaurants in the U.S.) set menu prices for their restaurants, which account for the increased costs of running their businesses. In doing so, they work hard to minimize the impact of price increases on our fans. This includes the everyday prices on our restaurant menu boards to special limited-time offers.

That’s why prices for many of our menu items have risen less than the rate of inflation – and remain well within the range of other quick service restaurants. It’s also why more than 90% of U.S. franchisees are offering meal bundles for $4 or less.

Increased prices of about 20 percent on average across the board for all goods and services is hurting Biden’s reelection chances. Eighty-seven percent of Americans believe his policies either hurt or had no impact on inflation, the number one issue among respondents, a Monmouth University poll found this week.

The poll also found that about half of American families (46 percent) struggle to remain financially stable. That number is higher under Biden than it was under Trump. From 2022 to 2023, the sentiment ranged between 37 percent and 44 percent, the poll reported. From 2017 to 2021, the sentiment was much lower from 20 percent to 29 percent.

“Those who are more likely to feel they are struggling include Republicans (54%) and independents (49%), those who earn less than $50,000 a year (56%) and between $50,000 and $100,000 (47%), and those who are Black, Hispanic, Asian, or of another race (53%),” the poll said.