While McDonald's is still a dominant force in the fast-food world, the chain has faced its fair share of difficulties in 2024 amid declining sales and fierce customer criticism over prices.
However, the fast-food slinger is finally growing in popularity again—and two buzzworthy promotions are likely to thank for the turnaround.
One major driver behind McDonald's recent popularity boost is its $5 Meal Deal, which launched in late June and came with a 4-piece Chicken McNuggets (170 calories), fries
(230 calories per small order), a drink, and the customer's choice of either a McChicken (400 calories) or McDouble (400 calories).
A July report from the foot traffic platform Placer.ai showed that McDonald's saw its busiest Tuesday of the year on the day the $5 Meal Deal hit menus.
In another report published last month, Placer.ai revealed that the promotion continued to drive customers to McDonald's restaurants long after the launch.
Foot traffic began to trend upwards following the promotion's launch, with visits during the week of June 24th up 2.5% compared to the chain's weekly average between April 1 and August 5. And foot traffic to McDonald's has remained consistently elevated in the weeks since," the August report read.
The data firm Numerator reported that 70% of McDonald's customers said they ate at the chain in part because of the $5 Meal Deal, per Restaurant Business Magazine.