OAK BROOK, Ill. -- Starting Jan. 4, McDonald’s will launch the McPick 2 menu, which will let customers pick two items for $2: a McDouble, a McChicken, small fries and mozzarella sticks.
The offering has gained the necessary votes from franchisees to make it onto the national menu, and will be available in U.S. restaurants for a five-week run starting Jan. 4, reported the Associated Press. After that, McDonald’s said it may change the details of the offering, but that it plans to stick with the “McPick” concept and name.
It is the latest effort by McDonald’s to revive slumping sales with bigger moves, such as making breakfast items available all day. The chain has also been trying to find a new way to attract deal seekers after moving away from the Dollar Menu, which it introduced more than a decade ago.
“As we moved away from the Dollar Menu, we didn’t replace it with offers of an equivalent form of value. And customers have voted with their feet,” CEO Steve Easterbrook said in July.
In an attempt to wean customers off the Dollar Menu in 2012, McDonald’s rolled out an “Extra Value Menu” that offered items for a range of prices. After that failed to take hold, the company turned to the “Dollar Menu & More,” which channeled a proven name but may have confused people with its range of prices, said the report.
McDonald’s isn’t alone in struggling to get customers to let go of the $1 price, AP said. Wendy’s tried replacing its 99-cent menu with a “Right Price Right Size” menu, but acknowledged the switch wasn’t doing the job. Last month, it began promoting a limited-time “4 for $4” deal that includes a Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger, chicken nuggets, fries and a drink.
Deborah Wahl, senior vice president of marketing for the United States, said the McPick platform was designed to give people options.
“Customers are looking for choice and flexibility. That’s sort of the new definition of value,” she told the news agency.
McDonald’s said that it has wide support and gained a “high majority” of franchisee votes, although it declined to provide details. When asked whether franchisees in regions with higher costs such as New York might lose money on the offer, Wahl said the deal is designed to drive customer traffic into stores.
McDonald’s Corp., based in Oak Brook, Illinois, said franchisees finalized votes on the McPick menu on Monday, although it secured the needed votes for approval earlier.
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