Originally, the McDonald's meal was only supposed to stick around for a month, from the end of June through July. However, the chain first extended the deal through August and then announced in September that it would be around through the end of the year.
Then, in November, the chain announced the value meal would be the centerpiece of a new menu, dubbed the McValue menu, launching in Q1 next year.
I recently tried the $5 Meal Deal and understand why the chain is keeping it around. Here's what I got in the meal and what I thought of each component.
For $5 — give or take a few cents after tax — I was able to get a small Diet Coke, four Chicken McNuggets, a McDouble, and small fries.
My $5 Meal Deal from McDonald's.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
If I ordered these items separately at my local McDonald's in New York, it would cost $3.39 for the McDouble, $2.59 for the McNuggets, $2.79 for the fries, and $1.49 for the Diet Coke, which would come out to $10.26 before tax.
The McDouble wasn't the best burger I've ever had, but it was certainly passable.
My McDouble left something to be desired.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
A McDouble is a hamburger with two patties. It comes with cheese, ketchup, pickles, and onions. The McDonald's website says it should also include mustard, but I didn't taste any or see any.
My biggest issue with the burger was that I thought it was bone-dry. After taking a few bites, I needed to chug my soda.
But even though I didn't love my McDouble, I'm not writing the meal off. I could always get a McChicken as part of the deal instead or try a different location's McDouble burger.
I'm a big McNugget fan, so I was happy to have some in my meal.
McNuggets are my favorite item at McDonald's.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
The $5 Meal Deal comes with four Chicken McNuggets.
My typical McDonald's order is a medium 10-piece McNugget meal, so I was happy to snack on a few. Even though these ended up not being my favorite nuggets when I compared $5 meal deals from McDonald's, Wendy's, and Burger King — Wendy's has the best nuggets in my opinion — McNuggets are a safe bet.
They have a good texture, the breaded coating isn't too salty or thick, and the nuggets aren't dense at all. These are classic for a reason.
McDonald's fries cannot be beat.
McDonald's has the best fries of any fast-food chain.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
As this photo shows, McDonald's fries were the thinnest of the three chains I tried.
They were also the saltiest, which is the key to tasty french fries, and had the best texture. I thought Wendy's and Burger King's fries were too dense and almost soggy, while McDonald's fries were the perfect amount of crispy.
My McDonald's drink was a good size, especially when compared to other chains' meal deals.
The soda from Burger King was visibly smaller.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
As you can see, the McDonald's and Wendy's sodas — 21 ounces and 20 ounces, respectively — are significantly larger than the 16-ounce drink offered by Burger King, and all three meals are the same price.
I can see why the $5 Meal Deal is driving customers to the Golden Arches.
The foot traffic at McDonald's has increased since the value meal was introduced.
Mike Kemp/In Pictures/Getty Images
In a July memo, McDonald's executives wrote that the meal is "meeting the objective of driving guests back to our restaurants."
As Business Insider reported using Placer.ai data, which keeps track of foot traffic at restaurants, there were 8% more visitors to McDonald's on the day the meal deal was introduced back in June — and it was the busiest Tuesday of the year to that point.
That record was broken the following week.
After getting a good amount of food at a considerably lower price, I can see why people love the deal. I correctly predicted back in July that the Meal Deal would be extended and eventually be permanently added to the menu — and in 2025, I'll be proven right.
