Grimace's Birthday Meal at McDonald's

[bcla]

I checked my local McDonald's for their prices. A regular Big Mac with medium fries and a medium drink is $9.89. But to get this meal with the exclusive purple shake (which is apparently vanilla with some berry mixed in) the total for a Big Mac with medium fries and a medium shake (30 cents extra for large) is $17.78. So it's almost $8 to substitute this shake for a medium drink, and the only way to get this.

They've done a few other exclusives. They had Big Mac sauce in those little tubs, but the only way to get that was to specify it in a mobile order. I tried and I could get that with Chicken McNuggets or even as extra condiments at no extra charge, but it had to be done through mobile order in the McDonald's app.

 

[disneychrista]

Here it is $13.29 for Grimace meal. $12.89 for a Big Mac meal substitute a shake but the Grimace shake is not an option. So $0.40 more for the Grimace Shake. From what I can see you can not get the Grimace shake unless you buy the meal.

I wanted to try the shake but not that much. I never get a meal.

 

[bcla]

I had another look at different prices, which I can look up in the McDonald's app. I guess it has to do with each franchise setting its own prices. But what I found for a default Big Mac/medium fries/medium drink price vs Grimace's Birthday Meal. One location is open but apparently doesn't carry it. It's also a little bit late and some locations are closed.

$12.19 / $9.59
$12.89 / $9.79
$10.49 / $10.29

So that near $8 spread might just be some anomaly, whether or not it was deliberate.

 

[sam_gordon]

I don't think you should compare sandwich/fries/drink with sandwich/fries/shake. What the price difference between Big mac meal w/vanilla shake vs Grimace meal? THEN you see the upcharge.

 

[bcla]

I don't think you should compare sandwich/fries/drink with sandwich/fries/shake. What the price difference between Big mac meal w/vanilla shake vs Grimace meal? THEN you see the upcharge.

Looked it up and it’s a $3.10 upcharge for a medium shake in place of a medium drink at my closest location. So it's a huge premium to just get that purple shake, on top of it not being available a la carte. Other locations have less of an uncharge though.

But I'm really thinking more about how this franchise seems to be soaking the customer for this more than just the price difference.

 

[sam_gordon]

You'd think if they were habitually "soaking" the customer, they would be out of business. An item is only worth what someone is willing to pay.

 

[BrianL]

What flavor is the shake - or is it just vanilla with coloring?

 

[darnheather]

What flavor is the shake - or is it just vanilla with coloring?

Online it says vanilla with berry flavoring. Goodluck finding a McDonald's with the ice cream machine working. LOL

 

[Lumpy1106]

I actually own one of these little beauties from a McDonalds promo when I was a kid - had to be 1980 of so? Best comb I've ever owned. I'm a little surprised that they are bringing back Grimmace - you know, obesity epidemic and all. It's a little shocking Mc Donalds ever survived given that the primary characters they used in their original promos were an obese monster, a kleptomaniac, a creepy clown and some kind of bird.

 

[bcla]

You'd think if they were habitually "soaking" the customer, they would be out of business. An item is only worth what someone is willing to pay.

Not for everything, but certainly it seems like they're trying to soak the customer on this. But at that price I'm thinking there aren't going to be many takers. I mean - more than $17 at a McDonalds?

 

[JPPT1974]

Grimace really now getting his just due in the sun!

 

[bcla]

Online it says vanilla with berry flavoring. Goodluck finding a McDonald's with the ice cream machine working. LOL

I'm pretty sure they come out of a shake machine and use a powder. I've never seen a McDonald's shake go through a milkshake blender. They come straight out of a shake machine where everything is already like that out of the machine. I think for these they're adding some berry syrup to a vanilla shake.

 

[Dan Murphy]

looked at closest McD's to us. $12.19 for Big Mac, med fries, medium purple shake. $11.99 with a vanilla shake. 20 cents upcharge.

 

[AppleDumpling]

I rarely go to McDonalds these days, but I’d like to try it. Too bad you have to buy a meal. It does seem a bit unethical if they’re jacking up the price. There are people on eBay already selling the empty plastic shake cups, Big Mac boxes, and paper bags, asking close to the prices OP quoted.

 

[nw6675]

But did you know Grimace is either the "embodiment" of a milkshake or a taste bud?

 

[disneychrista]

I don't know if this is a connection or not but vanilla shakes aren't even available at my closest McDonalds.

 

[sunshine1178]

I ordered three Grimace shakes tonight at the drive-thru and got them no problem. The app didn’t have an option to buy them as a stand-alone, but at least near Indianapolis, the humans let you do it!

 

[Mysterian]

It's the same as a vanilla shake with berry flavoring, right? Not worth it. The basic milkshake is 75 grams of sugar, basically 3/4 a cup of sugar. Sounds like Grimace is a silent killer!

And he looks more like a purple ... part of the anatomy that shall go nameless. Save your shekels!

 

[darnheather]

It's the same as a vanilla shake with berry flavoring, right? Not worth it. The basic milkshake is 75 grams of sugar, basically 3/4 a cup of sugar. Sounds like Grimace is a silent killer!

And he looks more like a purple ... part of the anatomy that shall go nameless. Save your shekels!

I think I'll make my own then. Grimace was always my favorite character as a kid.

 

[darnheather]

I'm pretty sure they come out of a shake machine and use a powder. I've never seen a McDonald's shake go through a milkshake blender. They come straight out of a shake machine where everything is already like that out of the machine. I think for these they're adding some berry syrup to a vanilla shake.

And yet whenever I ask for a shake they tell me the machine is broken. If I ask for ice cream instead it is also broken.