McDonald’s and Burger King holiday promotions spark major backlash
Navigating the food industry is becoming increasingly difficult as consumer spending slows, operational costs increase and competition intensifies.
In response, many fast-food chains lean heavily on menu innovation, offering limited-time items and collaborations to attract consumers.
On December 2, both McDonald’s and Burger King partnered with nostalgic franchisees to release limited-time themed meals and menu items.
But demand was so strong that some locations reportedly sold out of many of the limited-time offers within days of launch, resulting in widespread shortages and customer disappointment across the country.
McDonald’s (MCD),Dr. In partnership with Seuss Enterprises, the classic “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” released The Grinch Meal in the US, a festive package inspired by the movie. film.
Although this is a first for the US, it was introduced in select international markets last year. CanadaIreland, Australia and the United Kingdom.
New Dill Pickle McShaker Fries
a choice Big Mac or 10-piece Chicken McNuggets
A. medium drink
A pair of holiday themed Grinch socks in one of four designs
Grinch-themed Happy Meal packaging
Burger King introduced its own nostalgic collaboration. SpongeBob Movie Menuwith Nickelodeon SpongeBob SquarePants to celebrate the upcoming movie “The SpongeBob Movie: Call the SquarePants.”
The promotion includes a themed menu and two takeaway meals.
SpongeBob’s Krabby Whopper
Mr. Krabs’ Cheesy Bacon Tots
Patrick’s Star Fruit Cookie Cake
Pirate’s Frozen Pineapple Float
Bikini Bottom Package: All four new menu items packaged in a pineapple-shaped Submarine Box
King Jr. Food: A special edition kids’ meal in a pineapple-shaped Submarine Box, including one of six collectible SpongeBob toys and a limited-edition crown
McDonald’s and Burger King are facing backlash after selling out their limited-time promotions quickly.Shutterstock” loading=”eager” height=”540″ width=”960″ class=”yf-1gfnohs loader”/>
McDonald’s and Burger King faced backlash after their limited-time promotions quickly sold out.Shutterstock
As excitement for the new releases grew, food items and promotional products sold out at many locations of both chains much sooner than customers expected, leading to growing frustration online.
One reddit The user posted a thread claiming that their local McDonald’s continued to sell The Grinch Meal even though they were out of stockings, only notifying them after the order was delivered and paid for without offering any discount.
One reviewer shared a similar experience, explaining that he requested a refund of the price difference.
“It wasn’t much, but that was the principle of the matter,” the commentator wrote.
An employee who identified himself as McDonald’s also chimed in, commenting: “I ran out of store and blocked the food from being purchased. Apparently someone on duty didn’t know what they were doing.”
Another self-proclaimed McDonald’s employee commented: “The company made it clear to all restaurants that if we ran out of cans or shaker bags, we could continue the Grinch meals. But if we ran out of spices or socks, we had to stop selling them and therefore cut back immediately.”
McDonald’s responded in a statement to TheStreet.
“The Grinch promised a holiday treat and our fans jumped to their feet… The Grinch Meal is selling out left and right. We’re thrilled that his meal has become a huge hit and customers are creating new memories with the stocking stuffers in their sets.”
The company also stated that the Grinch Meal is planned to be available for a limited time while supplies last. Although restaurants are starting to sell out, dine-in service continues at some restaurants across the country, but most places are expected to run out of stock in the next few days.
burger king It also could not escape supply constraints. One reddit user posted a thread claiming that most Los Angeles locations sold out of the SpongeBob Movie Menu just two days after launch.
A New York user also reported the same issue, commenting: “I’m in New York and all Burger Kings are sold out. They removed the collaboration from their site and online orders. Now I have to wait and see if it comes back.”
An employee who identified himself as Burger King accused the warehouse of underestimating demand and over-buying customers, commenting: “It didn’t help that customers were buying 4 or more. Where I work the Pineapple float sold out in a day and a half, yesterday they ran out of pies and bacon toasties. That will depend on when they get a truck to your location and how well the manager handles the order. But if the warehouse is closed there’s nothing they can do.”
Burger King responded in a statement to TheStreet:
“Additional supplies will ship to restaurants early next week, and our Team Members are hard at work behind the grill to keep Bikini Bottom fun. This is a limited-time collaboration and items are only available while supplies last, so availability may vary by location.”
Fast-food chains often rely on demand forecasting and inventory management to estimate supplies and reduce waste. Since both collaborations were limited-time releases, McDonald’s and Burger King likely based their predictions on historical data from similar promotions.
Shortages are actually a positive indicator that demand is exceeding expectations and shows that new offerings are resonating with consumers.
This isn’t the first time McDonald’s has encountered this problem. Relaunched earlier this year Snack Package led to lettuce shortage in some places.
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The chain quickly resolved the issue but in the meantime instructed affected franchisees to prioritize lettuce in wraps and temporarily reduce its use in other menu items. Wall StreetJournal.
Despite the problem, McDonald’s comparable U.S. sales rose 2.4% year over year. Third quarter of fiscal 2025He attributes the growth to efforts to deliver daily value to customers, menu innovation and engaging marketing.
Restaurant Brands International’s (QSR) Burger King also received positive results from its investments. past menu innovationcomparable U.S. sales increased 3.2%. Third quarter of fiscal 2025.
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