27 Percent Price Hike of McChicken Angers Customers

The price of a McDonald’s McChicken burger has reportedly increased yet again, prompting dissatisfied voices to emerge from netizens in Singapore, according to Asia One News. Others, on the other hand, took the latest price increase in stride.

According to Asia One McDonald’s McChicken, a favorite of many customers who grew up eating the burger as children, used to cost $2. The burger now costs $3.25 when ordered a la carte.

Although this is not surprising given the recent spike in food prices, the price hike has ruffled many customers’ feathers.

One of them, a 38-year-old homemaker named Liu, reportedly claimed that the price increase was ridiculous and lamented, “If my child didn’t like it so much, I wouldn’t buy it.”

Another customer, 33-year-old Zhang, thought the McChicken was too pricey, claiming that the price did not seem to match the cost of the components.

“The burger only has a thin piece of chicken and some lettuce.” The quantity of sauce is also poor; why should it cost more than $3?”

However, several people resigned to the inevitable price increase due to rising food expenses.

Lin, 32, a financial professional, told Asia One that the price of the McDonald’s chicken burger was not excessive. He noted that at little over $3, it is already less expensive than many other places.

Another customer, a 40-year-old domestic worker, voiced concern that if pricing remained unchanged, they would no longer reflect actual market prices.

The price of a McChicken was $2 before Covid-19 and climbed to $2.50 during the epidemic. The price was later reduced to $2.95 before being set at the current $3.25.

According to international news outlets, McDonald’s US announced a price increase on all menu items in February 2023. According to Yahoo! News, the price of the McChicken increased by 27.6 percent, the highest rise of the three items featured.

Since then, other videos from TikTok users in the United States have gone viral, with many recalling how the well-loved chicken burger used to cost US$1 (S$1.34) each.

The topic of McDonald’s price rises in Singapore first came up on Reddit in June, when one Singapore-based member was astonished to learn that the price of a double cheeseburger meal had gone from $7 to $7.50. The user said, “this means the price of a double cheese burger meal has increased by 22% in just four years.”

Another contributor to the same forum stated two weeks ago that McDonald’s “just increased [prices] again,” but provided no further details.

However, one user stated that McDonald’s no longer uses “unified pricing,” with menu items priced differently depending on location at different locations.

$4.29 for a McChicken? Ain’t no way

Meanwhile, in the United States, the current price of a McChicken has one comedian riffing on the past, and now people are longing for the days when McDonald’s menu items were slightly cheaper.

Comedian Lance Woods went on a massive social media tirade after seeing that a simple McChicken sandwich cost $4.29, which made him rather disgruntled.

Going to your local McDonald’s, tapping your order onto their screens, and waiting for a delivery driver to arrive might not seem worth it if some of the dishes are so expensive.

“$4.29 for a McChicken? Ain’t no way that’s the same McChicken we grew up on with just the patty, the lettuce and the glob of mayonnaise,” the comedian joked in a video.

“Four twen… I thought that was the time! That’s a gallon of gas for a McChicken, is this a Gucci McChicken? A Louis McChicken? This chicken better have a gold chain and two hit singles.

“Paying $4.29 for no regular McChicken. What happened to the dollar menu? What happened to that, it just don’t exist no more? $4.29, not a double McChicken, just a regular plain great value basic McChicken. For that I want the McChicken and the chicken that made it.”

Viewers of the comedian’s video recalled that era as well, concurring that some of the pricing were incredibly high in comparison to now.

Someone scoffed at the fact that you only get a single basic sandwich for $4.29 (which is “what the combo used to cost”) and thought it was “crazyyy” to pay that much for a single chicken burger.

Another person chimed in, saying that for that amount they could have had “three McChicken back in the day,” while a fourth person referred to it as “robbery” that someone would spend that much for a sandwich without any accompaniments.

Menu prices are at the discretion of franchisees and may differ by location, according to what McDonald’s has previously told UNILAD; nevertheless, consultants offer a guide to benchmark rates.