They’ve been keeping this a McSecret.
Bored with McDonald’s food prices soaring amid inflation? A Texas TikTokker claims that she was able to save lots of major McMoney by buying a “secret” $12 McDonald’s dinner box that feeds as much as five people — and reportedly for half the à la carte price.
“$12 Dinner Boxes at McDonald’s is price it!! gushed Leiela Kapewa-Latu within the caption to the clip, which has racked up 12 million views and counting.
Within the footage, shot on the drive-thru of an unnamed Golden Arches in Texas, the stay-at-home mom asks the cashier if she has the “dinner box, which isn’t actually on the menu.”
Fortunately, the clerk confirms they do before asking what form of sauces she’d like, proving this isn’t some urban burger legend.
The clip then cuts to Kapewa Latu opening the large package, revealing two cheeseburgers, 4 small french fries, a 10-piece chicken McNuggets, two Big Macs and sauces for $12.19 before tax (no drinks included).
To place it in perspective, the meal would’ve run her greater than twice as much had she ordered those items individually for pickup, ABC News reported recently.
It’s also allegedly $5 cheaper than the $18 Big Mac Combo menu — which incorporates just the eponymous nosh with fries and a drink — on the franchise outlet in Darien, Connecticut.
“It fed my family of 5,” Kapewa-Latu told “Good Morning America” of the by-request-only, speakeasy-esque meal. “I’m just joyful to get the word on the market and let people know, like, there are still deals.”
In truth, the off-the-books item was so hush-hush that many commenters hadn’t heard of it, while others claimed their versions were different and/or dearer.
“This dinner box is $22 here in Ohio. [I don’t know] where it’s $12???” wondered one user, while one other wrote, “Within the Bundle Box Las Vegas comes with 2 Big Mac 2 Cheeseburgers 10pc Chix Nuggets 2 Medium Fries $14.99.”
Indeed, the fast-food restaurant’s prices vary depending on the shop.
“Ninety percent of McDonald’s restaurants are independently owned and operated by franchisees, who’ve the power to set their very own prices,” the popular eatery writes on its site.
These prices, in turn, are influenced by a wide range of aspects, including industrial property prices, gas prices, rates of interest, medical insurance costs and, after all, inflation.
In November, customers were outraged after the corporation jacked up food prices — hence the $18 Big Mac meal — at a handful of locations amid rising equipment and labor costs.
Coincidentally, Texas — home of the “dinner box” — boasts the most cost effective McDonald’s within the country with customers paying 9.58% lower than the national average.
