When it comes to eating out, inflation is the name of the game friends, and even the cheapest of restaurants will cost you an arm and a leg to feed a small family on the go.
One TikTok user recently went viral after sharing her family’s McDonald’s “dinner box” which cost her just $12 at a Texas McDonald’s.
In a post that has now been shared almost 200,000 times, Leiela Kapewa-Latu asks the person taking her order in the McDonald’s drive through if they have a “dinner box.” To her surprise, they said yes and asked her what kind of sauces she’d like.
@xolovelei $12 Dinner Boxes at McDonald’s is worth it!! #budgetfriendly #mcdonaldshacks #fyp ♬ original sound – xolovelei
After paying for her meal, they handed her what can only be described as a Happy Meal for grown-ups. The yellow and white striped box contained two cheeseburgers, four small fries, a 10-piece chicken nuggets, two Big Macs and sauces.
“If you didn’t know, like we didn’t know, $12 gets you a dinner box. It’s not on the menu,” Kapewa-Latu said.
Just last week, my husband and I took my 16-month-old to McDonald’s for a Saturday lunch. It cost us $25. This dinner box is a STEAL.
But, there is a catch. Commenters were quick to jump in with the price of the same-ish McDonald’s dinner box in their area, and the spread in price and product is large.
“This dinner box is $22 here in Ohio idk where it’s $12???” read one comment. Another follower from Nevada wrote, “In the Bundle Box Las Vegas comes with 2 Big Mac 2 Cheeseburgers 10pc Chix Nuggets 2 Medium Fries $14.99.”
“Texas has the NFL bundle,” another wrote, sharing the breakdown of that deal. “Four cheeseburgers, four hot ’n spicy burgers, a 20 piece nuggets and two large fries for $20.”
McDonald’s eventually confirmed that each franchise is able to create their own prices and promotions that vary by restaurants. The double arches also confirmed that bundle deals like this dinner box also vary by location and can be found in the McDonald’s app if your location is running the promotion.
“If you don’t see it at your regular location check another,” one commenter advised. “My location doesn’t offer it but another did.”
“If you go on the app click on shareables tab when ordering there are different packages,” another person commented on Kapewa-Latu’s post.
News of the dinner boxes comes as prices across the country continue to skyrocket in everything from groceries to gas to fast food.
The going rate for a meal at Chick-fil-A is between $14 and $19 these days. Gone are the days of the McDonald’s Dollar menu or even value options from Wendy’s.
Any way we can stretch a dollar these days, we’ll take it! Check your McDonald’s app for deals and coupons at your local restaurant.
