Secret McDonald’s bargain revealed by mom of 5 — here’s why she’s celebrating the dinner box
They’ve been keeping this a McSecret.
Tired of McDonald’s food prices soaring amid inflation? A Texas TikTokker claims that she was able to save major McMoney by buying a “secret” $12 McDonald’s dinner box that feeds up to five people — and reportedly for half the à la carte price.
“$12 Dinner Boxes at McDonald’s is worth it!! gushed Leiela Kapewa-Latu in the caption to the clip, which has racked up 12 million views and counting.
In the footage, shot at 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 kind of sauces she’d like, proving this is not some urban burger legend.
The clip then cuts to Kapewa Latu opening the massive package, revealing two cheeseburgers, four small french fries, a 10-piece chicken McNuggets, two Big Macs and sauces for $12.19 before tax (no drinks included).
To put it in perspective, the meal would’ve run her more than twice as much had she ordered those items separately for pickup, ABC News reported recently.
It’s also allegedly $5 cheaper than the $18 Big Mac Combo menu — which includes just the eponymous nosh with fries and a drink — at the franchise outlet in Darien, Connecticut.
“It fed my family of five,” Kapewa-Latu told “Good Morning America” of the by-request-only, speakeasy-esque meal. “I’m just happy to get the word out there and let people know, like, there are still deals.”
In fact, 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 more expensive.
“This dinner box is $22 here in Ohio. [I don’t know] where it’s $12???” wondered one user, while another wrote, “In 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 store.
“Ninety percent of McDonald’s restaurants are independently owned and operated by franchisees, who have the ability to set their own prices,” the popular eatery writes on its site.
These prices, in turn, are influenced by a variety of factors, including commercial property prices, gas prices, interest rates, health insurance costs and, of course, 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 cheapest McDonald’s in the country with customers paying 9.58% less than the national average.
