McDonald’s has been receiving some heat from customers about its famed Dollar Menu—and it’s not because the deals on it are unbelievably good.
Fans of the fast food giant have taken to social media in recent days to complain about the misleading nature of the current discount menu at the chain, officially called the $1 $2 $3 Menu, because there are no longer any items available to order at the $1 price point. One TikToker went viral after pointing out the discrepancy, saying that “McDonald’s has a dollar menu right now…without a single item that costs $1.”
@anna2morrow McDonald’s pricing is getting out of hand. How are you gonna. All something a follar menu and put $1 $2 $3 right next to that when there are no $1 items? This isnt even a McDonald’s in a nice area. #foryoupage #trending #fyp #mcdonalds #capitalism #inflation original sound – Anna
TikTok Video Goes Viral Pointing Out No $1 Items Currently On McDonald’s Dollar Menu
TikToker Anne Arroyo, who goes by the username @anna2morrow, made a video while in the drive thru line at her local Niles, Ohio McDonald’s observing that there were no longer any items at the $1 price level available on the restaurant’s menu whatsoever. The video, which was only a few seconds long, zoomed in on the drive thru menu’s offerings, with Arroyo simply commenting, “McDonald’s has a dollar menu right now…without a single item that costs $1.”
Thousands of TikTokers watched and commented on the video, with some joking that the $1 $2 $3 Menu is now more like the “$1ish $2ish $3ish” Menu. Others noted the apparent inflation in prices at McDonald’s over the last few years: “McDouble, small fry, large drink used to be around 5 dollars where I live. It’s now over 9” wrote one commenter, along with an angry-face emoji. Another noted, “That’s the ‘some dollars and change menu’ the hell??”
Others added that the reason that the chain “gets away with” calling the menu the $1 $2 $3 Menu still is because of the fact that you can purchase any item on that particular section of the menu and get another for $1—but only with the original item added first. One employee of the fast food restaurant also observed that “technically the apple slices are a dollar lol I work at McDonald’s that’s the only thing we sell that’s a buck.” However, the apple slices item was not a part of the menu section in question and is only available as a side.
$1 $2 $3 Menu Originally Debuted In 2018 With 4 Items Priced At $1
The $1 $2 $3 Menu, which was previously known before the revamp as just the "Dollar Menu" and still is popularly called that to this day, was introduced in 2018 and at the time offered 4 different items priced at $1—a sausage burrito, the McChicken, a cheeseburger, and any size soft drink. The 2018 version of the menu also included sausage McGriddles, 2-pc. buttermilk crispy tenders, a bacon McDouble, and a small McCafe drink at the $2 price tier and a sausage McMuffin with egg, a classic chicken sandwich, a triple cheeseburger, and a Happy Meal at the $3 price point.
Now, according to the McDonald's app (at least in New England, where this author is located), the $1 $1 $3 menu only has 4 items total, vs. the original 12...and none of them are at the $1 price point. Instead there is a McChicken for $2.79 (originally $1), a McDouble for $2.89 (originally $2), small french fries for $2.99, and a 4-pc. chicken McNuggets for $2.39.
Prices vary around the country, but it seems the least expensive items on the $1 $2 $3 Menus at other McDonald's restaurants are soft drinks and sweet tea in some areas—which still cost over $1, at a price of $1.29 in Orange, California. According to the Consumer Price Index, menu prices grew 7.1% between July of last year and July of this year.
Anne Arroyo told Business Insider after her video went viral, "I think that the title Dollar Menu is a misnomer...[McDonald's is] trying to capitalize on an old business model that no longer exists, and it just brings more attention to their inflated prices. The Under $3 menu would be more appropriate. I miss the days of being able to get a regular hamburger for 89¢ and a small fry for $1." Considering the passionate response to Arroyo's popular video, it seems many other customers long for those days, too.
