- McDonald's unveiled a three-tiered value menu in early 2018.
- The $1 $2 $3 Dollar Menu had four items offered at each price point, including a $1 cheeseburger.
- A TikTok video calls out McDonald's for not selling any items for $1.
When McDonald's introduced its new $1 $2 $3 Dollar Menu in early 2018, it offered four items for $1, including a sausage burrito, the McChicken, a cheeseburger, and any size soft drink.
Today, dollar items are vanishing.
There's nothing close to a buck on the value menu, according to menus observed by Insider across the US. And in a TikTok video seen by nearly 150,000 people, McDonald's was called out for not having a single item that costs $1.
While sitting in line for a McDonald's drive-thru, Anne Arroyo, a TikToker who goes by @anna2morrow, zoomed in on the fast food chain's Dollar Menu. The video's location was tagged as Niles, Ohio.
"McDonald's has a dollar menu right now without a single item that costs $1," she said in the video said in a video she posted. In the video, which has over a hundred thousand views, the drive-thru menu featured fountain beverages and frozen drinks, all priced above a dollar. Soft drinks and iced tea were $1.29, while iced coffee and frozen soda drinks were $2.00.
@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
One commenter on the video wrote that the menu was a "1ish, 2ish, 3ish" menu. Another commenter, who said they worked at McDonald's, wrote that the fast food chain's apple slices are "the only thing we sell that's a buck."
Several commenters wrote about how McDonald's dollar menu pricing was different across the country. A commenter who said they were from Florida wrote that their McDonald's dollar menu drinks cost $2.79.
"I think that the title Dollar Menu is a misnomer," Arroyo told Insider. "They are 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."
Insider scoured McDonald's locations across the US by searching its mobile app and going to a store in Southern California to see if we could find any $1 items available on the chain's $1, $2, $3 menu.
The results: dollar items appear to be vanishing.
In Orange, California, almost everything listed on the value menu was priced closer to $3, except soft drinks and sweet tea—those two items sold for $1.29. The McChicken, which was $1 in 2018, is now priced at $2.39. A McDouble is $2.99, and a small fries is $2.79.
Though inflation has slowed recently, restaurant chains and their franchises have reacted to rising labor and commodity costs by raising menu prices over the past 18 months. Franchisees have some discretion over pricing. According to the Consumer Price Index, menu prices grew 7.1% between July 2022 and July 2023.
In earnings calls, publicly traded chains such as Chipotle and McDonald's have told investors that menu prices have been part of a playbook to keep up with inflationary pressures. Chipotle has raised prices five times since June 2021, including a 4% hike in August 2022. McDonald's increased its menu prices by an average of 10% in 2022, trade publication Restaurant Dive wrote in April.
But why is McDonald's promoting a menu that doesn't appear to offer anything for $1?
McDonald's could not be reached for comment.
Restaurant chains are not alone in raising prices on dollar items.
Dollar Tree recently began selling more items that cost more than a dollar, citing inflation. It is testing some products that cost up to $5.