Unsurprisingly, many Americans have tightened their restaurant budget along with their belts in the face of ever-rising prices to dine out, and fast-food chains have been competing to introduce value meals to lure back diners to the drive-through line — but what about feeding the kids?
A new study compares the cost of kids' meals from different fast-food chains over the past decade, and the price of a Happy Meal has more than doubled. If you're trying to stretch your restaurant budget, how does the Happy Meal compare to the other value meals offered by the Golden Arches?
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History of the Happy Meal
![McDonald's Happy Meal](https://cdn.financebuzz.com/filters:quality(75)/images/2024/08/14/happy_meal_2GI0rAm.jpg)
The first Happy Meal hit the market in the fall of 1977 in Kansas City. By 1979, a national rollout led to the iconic meal we all know now. The first version included a burger, small fries, a packet of cookies, a surprise gift, and a small drink packaged in a special box designed to look like a lunch pail but decorated with colorful artwork meant to appeal to children. It cost customers $1.10.
Price increase
![McDonald's worker holding fast food bag](https://cdn.financebuzz.com/filters:quality(75)/images/2024/07/10/mcdonalds-worker-holding-fast-food-bag.jpeg)
The first McDonald's Happy Meals were rolled out for $1.10 and maintained fairly steady pricing throughout the 1980s. By 2014, the average cost increased to $2.99. Over the past decade, the price has now gone up to $4.59 for the iconic kids' meal. That's an increase of 54% in less than a third of the time.
Kids' value meal vs. Adult value meal
![McDonald's meal](https://cdn.financebuzz.com/filters:quality(75)/images/2024/08/14/mcds_meal.jpg)
A Happy Meal costs nearly $5 now and includes your choice of hamburger, cheeseburger, or chicken nuggets, along with a small side of French fries, apple slices, or a Go-Gurt tube, a kid's drink, and a small toy.
Comparatively, McDonald's current $5 Meal Deal is basically the same price and includes either a McChicken or a McDouble, four-piece chicken nuggets, small fries, and a small drink. If you're really missing that toy, there is currently a "grown-up Happy Meal" branded as a Collector’s Meal that comes with an iconic collectible—for $12.99.
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Bottom line
![McDonald's Trademark Logo](https://cdn.financebuzz.com/filters:quality(75)/images/2024/07/10/mcdonalds-trademark-logo.jpeg)
McDonald's Happy Meals are supposed to be inexpensive options for children to eat alongside their parents, but if your children are more interested in the food than the toy, then the $5 Meal Deal may be a better value option.
Many families are tightening their budgets to tackle rising grocery costs, and often, eating out is the first and easiest thing to cut when streamlining a budget. Happy Meals may not provide the value families seek anymore, so it might be time to upgrade your kids to a full meal.
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