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McDonald's customer makes surprising discovery when ordering meal from the app as fast food prices soar
A McDonald's customer has pointed out a frustrating flaw with the fast food giant's app in a viral video on TikTok.
The man, Stephen, reported to followers his steak egg cheese bagel was more expensive on the McDonald's app than it was on the drive-through menu board.
He only found this out after the app didn't work for him, at which point he decided to drive over to the restaurant and order through the speaker the old-fashioned way.
'Last Sunday I was like "I'm going to get myself a delicious steak egg and cheese bagel sandwich because they're delicious,"' he said in the video.
He then notes the price in a screenshot of the app on his phone. The sandwich by itself cost $7.99, while the meal was priced at $12.19.
In a video that has since gone viral, a TikToker named Stephen slammed McDonald's for supposedly charging more on the app than in-person
Here, Stephen points out the prices of the sandwich he wanted to order on the drive through menu board. The a la carte price on the app was $7.99, while the meal costed $12.19. The app was nearly $2 more expensive
The menu at the restaurant listed the single item price as $6.19 and the meal price at $10.69, which sent Stephen flying off the handle at America's most popular fast food chain.
'This is the menu board,' he said, as he points out the nearly $2 price differential between the app and the drive through. 'It's actually f***king cheaper,' he added.
'It’s your own app; it’s not DoorDash. It’s not GrubHub; it’s your own app,' he added. 'Why are you charging me more? Why are you charging me more to order in the app?'
He also claimed the prices for other items on the menu were different on the app and at his McDonald's location.
There are multiple reasons why fast food giants, not just McDonald's, are pushing their respective apps, which often contain exclusive freebies and buy-one-get-one free deals.
Apps let the chains gather data about customers and cut down on staff costs - so the likes of McDonald's are willing to throw rewards at Americans to get them in the door.
Many chains, including McDonald's offered limited time meal deals to appeal to cash-strapped customers over the summer. This came after many fast food restaurants reported making less profit this year
Plus, they can send you push notifications as often as they want to get you to order that Big Mac or that Whopper you probably wouldn't have thought to buy if you hadn't seen it pop up on your phone.
Viewers of the video were appalled, with some sharing their own stories of getting price gouged.
'A couple weeks ago, a McFlurry was showing $7.19 (WTH?) in the app, then an hour or two later, it was $5.99. Same town, same location. They must be using surge pricing which should be illegal,' one person wrote.
Others were just fed up with the high prices in general for what used to be cheap, mediocre food you could grab on the go.
'Also $8 for a breakfast sandwich is INSANE! Those used to be like 2-3$,' another wrote.
Analysis by FinanceBuzz reveals how much popular fast food products have gone up in the past ten years
The American fast food industry was hit with lower profits this year after customers got wise to the exorbitant prices, which outpaced overall inflation.
As of May 2024, fast-food prices were 33 percent more expensive than they were in 2019. By comparison, grocery costs are up just 26 percent while the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 19 percent in that time.
In the first quarter ending in April, McDonald's reported a lower quarterly profit than estimated for the first time in two years.
Wendy's, Burger King, Pizza Hut, and KFC all had similar earnings misses this year.
McDonald's leadership quickly identified why this happened, and it came down to customers simply not spending as much money on Big Macs and Whoppers in an inflation-riddled economy.
McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski (pictured) commented in an April earnings call: 'The consumer is certainly being very discriminating in how they spend their dollar'
'The consumer is certainly being very discriminating in how they spend their dollar,' McDonald's President and CEO Chris Kempczinski said in an earnings call with investors at the time. 'It may be more pronounced with lower-income consumers.'
These chains quickly thought up value meals that might appeal to budget-conscious people.
McDonald's introduced a limited-time $5 meal deal earlier this summer and it includes either a McChicken or McDouble, four-piece chicken nuggets, fries and a drink.
This deal lapsed in August.
Rival Burger King's $5 Your Way Meal was very similar to McDonald's. Customers got a choice of one of three sandwiches - a Whopper Jr, a Bacon Cheeseburger or Chicken Jr - plus four chicken nuggets, fries and a soft drink.
Wendy's had a $3 breakfast offer and also a four-item $5 meal similar to McDonald's and Burger King's.