McDonald's Fans Are Calling Out Franchises For Grimace Meal Rip-Off

What should have been a fun celebration of a McDonald's mascot has some customers claiming they were price gouged. Grimace, Ronald McDonald's purple sidekick and the world's favorite fuzzy Gemini, turned 52 this week. In celebration, McDonald's locations across the nation launched the special edition "Grimace Birthday Meal and Shake", which includes the choice of a 10-piece Chicken McNugget or a Big Mac, fries, and a purple, berry-flavored shake that was designed with Grimace's signature sweetness and color in mind.

The launch was met with excitement, as it elicited happy childhood memories in lifelong McDonald's fans. However, the enthusiasm over the birthday meal and shake has quickly soured after many customers have claimed that some McDonald's franchises are jacking up the prices on the meal in an obvious attempt to exploit their fans' nostalgia.

In a TikTok video that has garnered more than 130,000 views, one TikToker took to the app to point out that many franchise owners are using the buzz surrounding Grimace's birthday meal as an excuse to "gouge" consumers. To support his claim, he pulls up the prices of the meals at two different Mcdonald's locations that he says are "ten minutes apart." The first charged just over $10, while the second charged more than $15 for the same meal.

To further prove his point, the TikToker breaks down the prices of each individual item in the Grimace Birthday Meal. After explaining that the location that was charging $15 for the meal charged $4.69 for a 10-piece McNugget, $2.99 for a medium fry, and $3.79 for a medium chocolate shake, he says, "So they're gouging you $4 to get the Grimace meal." He goes on to claim that the franchises that are overcharging are, "Screwing their customers over."

Another TikTok user also posted a video in which she attempts to order the Grimace Birthday Meal and was told by a drive-thru employee that they weren't allowed to sell it. "There's something wrong with the pricing," the employee can be heard saying, "That's the reason why — [they're] overpriced. So we're not allowed to sell it." That particular location had the meal priced at $18.38.

Disgruntled fans also took to Twitter to air their grievances about the high cost of celebrating their old pal Grimace. One Twitter user wrote, "McDonald's asking over $17 for the grimace meal is truly abominable." Another Twitter user was baffled by the price tag on the meal, writing, "I wanted to try the grimace meal from McDonald's but immediately changed my mind when I saw it was over $17." With prices like these, McDonald's customers might be better off just buying the meal items individually. However, the burger giant has not yet made Grimace's birthday shake available for purchase à la carte.