McDonald’s Hit With Value Meal Pricing Suit
We here at Abnormal Use have discussed many McDonald’s lawsuits over the years. Most of those suits involved hot coffee spills and often led to heated discussions over a producer’s liability for serving products in the manner nature intended. While those discussions were certainly interesting for us legal nerds, none were necessarily as critical to the fabric of our society as the most recent suit filed against the fast food giant. As reported by the Chicago Tribune, a new suit, which seeks class action status, has been filed against McDonald’s alleging that the company has committed fraud and deceptive trade practices through the pricing of its Extra Value Meals. Specifically, Plaintiff Kelly Killeen alleges that she purchased a Sausage Burrito Extra Value Meal at a downtown Chicago McDonald’s. Killeen paid $5.08 for her meal. However, a review of the menu revealed that had Kielleen purchased the meal (comprised of two burritos, hash browns and a medium coffee) a la carte, the meal would have cost $4.97. And, Killeen is none too pleased with being deprived of 11 cents, apparently.
Killeen’s suit follows a similar lawsuit filed in December alleging that 10 Illinois McDonald’s overprice the Two Cheeseburger Extra Value Meal by about 50 cents. That suit also seeks class action status.
While it may not have been discussed on the campaign trail, value meal pricing is a real issue for those of us that actually pay attention. From fast food restaurants to concessions at movie theaters and sporting events, the “value” of a pre-grouped meal is often minimal, if not non-existent. Whether it is fraud or just good sales psychology, we will leave that question for the jury. Regardless, it remains an issue we should all be conscious of as consumers. With that said, don’t count on us to join the class. Even though we loathe value meal pricing, we routinely order value meals. The reason – it is easy and convenient regardless of whether it makes economic sense. Ever try to order from a drive-thru for a bunch of kids in the backseat? The goal is just to make it through. In that situation, ordering by number will always outweigh the economic benefit of a la carte. So, McDonald’s, yes, you can keep our 11 cents.
