McDonald's Ending $1 Drink Deal

McDonald's loses a big draw by ditching the cheap drinks.

By Andrew Roberts

McDonald's is doing away with another reason fans have been "loving it" at the fast food giant for years. According to Restaurant Dive, McDonald's is phasing out the chain's long-running $1 drink promotion.

According to a Wall Street Journal report, McDonald's franchisees in several markets have already ditched the cheap drinks promotion, raising beverage prices to offset the inflation impact. McDonald's gave owners the option to drop the $1 drinks back in January 2022, which some ran with at the time.

Value meals also took a spot at the front of marketing efforts for many locations, with 16 markets out of 56 officially promoting meals over $1 drinks. The latter promotion had been the norm year-round since at least 2017, with McDonald's offering it as a summer promo event in previous years starting in 2008.

"Customers can always count on McDonald's for great value, which remains an important part of our marketing strategy. Franchisees set prices and have the flexibility to create promotions that will drive demand locally," McDonald's told Restaurant Dive in a statement.

High prices at McDonald's have gotten plenty of social media attention in recent months. A recent story saw a customer upset that three hashbrowns ran them over $10, while others have indicated they could prepare food at home for a week at the price of value meals being offered.

It isn't just McDonald's doing this sort of cost-cutting and price raising. According to Restaurant Dive, Little Caesars set an example when they raised the price of their Hot-N-Ready pizza by $.55 in early 2022. That might seem like a small bit, but it is a lot when customers are expecting a dollar less.

McDonald's cousin restaurant, Chipotle, has also seen its menu prices jump. Customers would soon be paying 10 percent more for their burritos, with prices jumping during a period from 2020 until 2022. The COVID-19 pandemic and the shutdown that highlighted the worst days of the virus played no small role in creating this reality. Hopefully, there will be an equal reversal in the future, where prices can drop back down and new items can be brought back to the menu. We had just gotten All-Day Breakfast, people!

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