Why McDonald's Might Be Changing Its Menu Prices Once Again

If you've recently taken a look at a Big Mac combo meal and skipped it due to its double digit price, McDonald's has noticed your absence. You'll want to watch in the coming few months to see if the price of your favorite combo meal comes down a bit, because the Wall Street Journal reports that the fast food titan is working with its franchisees to come up with a repricing strategy for eight of its most popular bundles. The meals' new total price will be at least 15% less of the entire sum of each individual items' price, which does mean you'll be getting a bit of extra wiggle room in your wallet.

Also expect to see $5 breakfast and $8 McNugget and Big Mac "Extra Value Meal" deals later on, which will run as special promotions. Lower income diners are the ones who are turning away from McDonald's the most (particularly during breakfast hours), and the concept that fast food is "cheap" has all but died in most American diners' minds now. Considering McDonald's prices have gone up about 141.4% over the past five years, that mustard and bologna sandwich you can make at home just sounds way more reasonable.

I never thought I'd be comparing McDonald's to Chili's, since I consider them as two separate categories (fast food vs. sit-down), but ever since McDonald's prices reached double digits for a meal, Chili's reached right down and snatched up some diners with its Big Smasher meal. The Big Smasher burger is a lot like a Big Mac in that it's made with a burger patty, American cheese, Thousand Island dressing, red onions, pickles, and lettuce. But the meal at Chili's also comes with an appetizer (including endless chips and salsa if you dine in), along with fries and a drink, and it's priced at a cool $10.99. Coupled with the fact that the burger itself has about double the quantity of beef in it than a Big Mac does, and you almost have a no-brainer in terms of value here — you simply get more for the same amount of money.

Sure, Chili's might not offer a drive-thru, but mobile pickup is still a convenience, so you can see how these two seemingly disparate chains are now toe-to-toe. Perhaps with this pricing update, things might look a little more attractive on the McDonald's side, however. We've always perceived fast food as being cheap, and if it isn't, we simply just eat at home (as boring as that sounds). McDonald's wants you back, so just be on the lookout during September for lower pricing on combo meals, and possibly a few more tweaks to pricing as the year goes on.