A New England man pointed out a potential oversight and “crazy quirk” with the McDonald’s menu.
Occasional poster “Transitman” (@user5273031921601) gave a tip to his audience about the McDonald’s breakfast menu that caught the attention of over 15,000 viewers. In the video, he told his audience to order the “Big Breakfast with Hotcakes” instead of the hotcakes by themselves.
“If you order Hotcakes … it’s $5.49,” he says. “However, if you look further on the menu and get the Big Breakfast with Hotcakes—which is three hotcakes, sausage, biscuit, hash brown, and eggs—it’s just $5.”
While he and others thought this could be a potentially great hack to ensure they’re getting a bang for their buck, others pointed out that McDonald’s wouldn’t “accidentally” miss an item with more food being cheaper than an item with a single product in it. Instead, they suggested that the pricing difference was deliberate and a marketing ploy to draw in more customers.
Are Hotcakes More Expensive on Their Own at Every McDonald’s?
Prices at McDonald’s locations vary. A few commenters pointed out that Hotcakes are not more expensive across the country; they screenshotted the prices of the “Big Breakfast with Hotcakes” in varying areas as a way of illustrating that the hack doesn’t work.
Historically, franchisees have been able to set their own, independent prices for items on the menu. Some areas have exorbitantly priced Big Macs, while others have relatively normal, low prices. Transmitman’s commenters even compared prices between locations. One commenter screenshotted the price of Hotcakes in California—$6.19. Another person saw the very same item at a different location for $4.49.
Recently, McDonald’s has moved to increase its value meal offerings, which has pushed franchisees to adopt the company’s cheap pricing model.
Why Would McDonald’s Give You More Food for Less Money?
That could be one explanation as to why the hotcakes—which are a singular menu item—cost more than the Big Breakfast at this particular location. McDonald’s frequently discounts value meals as a way of drawing in more customers. That strategy is what won back at least some customers in the company’s fourth quarter, which had “better than expected deals.”
There’s a chance that the specific McDonald’s location in Transitman’s video is engaging in a form of loss leader pricing. “Loss leader pricing” describes a situation where a business lowers the price of a product to such a degree that it may even take a loss on it as a means of attracting customers. In this particular case, McDonald’s most likely isn’t taking a loss on the “Big Breakfast with Hotcakes,” as the company notoriously spends incredibly little on its products or supplies. But value deals that feel like “hacks” can sometimes just be deliberate marketing ploys to get customers to buy more products than they normally would have.
“Once you convince yourself that you’re getting a deal you are more likely to spend more money,” one commenter said. “Not everyone will do it, but [a lot] will. If you feel like [you’re] not getting a deal you will spend less. You convince yourself that you found a loophole to exploit, but it was a trap the whole time.”
AllHipHip reached out to Transitman via TikTok direct message and comment. We’ve also emailed the McDonald’s press contact. We will update this story if either party gets back to us.
@user5273031921601 McDonald's Menu Quirk
♬ original sound – Transitman