McDonald's Revives Adult Happy Meals to Capitalize on Nostalgia Marketing

Key points

• McDonald's is bringing back adult Happy Meals featuring nostalgic collectible toys to drive drive-thru traffic.
• Nostalgia-based promotions allow fast-food chains to command higher ticket prices and increase average check size.
• Limited supply and high demand often create secondary markets for retro promotional items.
• Rival quick-service chains are expected to follow suit by resurrecting classic brand assets from their own archives.

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Sources and methodology

Reported from the public datasets below.

• Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) - Consumer Price Index, food away from home
• Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED) - Food services and drinking places series
• U.S. Census Bureau - Monthly Retail Trade, food services

All sources Foodie Pundit reports from

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