User:DoctorWho42/McPick 2

McPick 2 is a value menu of American fast-food restaurant of McDonald's. Originally, the menu would allow customers to choose two items from a selection of McChicken, McDouble sandwiches, small French fries, or mozzarella sticks for the price of $2. In January 4, 2016, McPick 2 was scheduled to debut for a five-week run.

History
In 2014, McDonald's phased out its popular dollar menu "Dollar Menu and More" which offered menu items that cost up to $5. In November 16, 2015, Fortune announced that McDonald's would replace it with a $2 menu. Fortune's Phil Wahba speculated that "the price returns some sandwiches to the key $1 point that had fueled McDonald’s astonishing sales growth from 2003 to 2013."

Chief Executive Steve Easterbrook said McPick 2 and the all-day breakfast menu were part of McDonald's "turnaround plan." In a July 2015 conference call, Easterbrook said "Some of the challenges we've had in the US have been somewhat self-inflicted. [...] We moved away from the Dollar Menu and didn't replace it with significant-enough value in the eyes of consumers." Easterbrook has also said "it's also considering tinkering with the McPick 2 offer, and possibly offering it in different ways in different parts of the nation."

In March 29, 2016, McDonald's began testing the McPick 2 menu for breakfast at select locations. In St. Louis, Missouri, customers can pay $3 for two items from a selection of sausage McGriddles, pancakes, hash browns, and a large hot coffee. In Northwestern Pennsylvania locations, McPick 2 breakfast menu items included sausage McMuffin, a large coffee, hash browns, and a sausage burrito.

McPick 2-for-$2
In January 4, 2016, McPick 2 was scheduled to debut for a five-week run. Originally, the menu would allow customers to choose two items from a selection of McChicken, McDouble sandwiches, small French fries, or mozzarella sticks for the price of $2.

McPick 2-for-$3
In March 29, 2016, McDonald's began testing the McPick 2 menu for breakfast at select locations. In St. Louis, Missouri, customers can pay $3 for two items from a selection of sausage McGriddles, pancakes, hash browns, and a large hot coffee.

McPick 2-for-$3.50
Nomura Group's Mark Kalinowski reported local/regional locations offering two-for-$3.50 deals with some focusing on breakfast items.

McPick 2-for-$4
Nomura Group's Mark Kalinowski reported that the two-for-$4 was also a local/regional promotion offered.

McPick 2-for-$5
In February 29, 2016, the company switched from the two-for-$2 business model to two-for-$5 for the menu items 10-piece Chicken McNuggets, Big Mac, Filet-O-Fish or Quarter Pounder sandwiches.

Mozarella Sticks
Many customers complained about the mozarella sticks lacking mozarella. Several of these complaints were documented on the social media platform Twitter showing breading and disappointment. Reportedly, McDonald's declined to comment.

McPick 2-for-$2
According to Consumerist's Ashlee Kieler, the promotion for the two-for-$2 business model was popular and many customers were devastated by the price increase. In response, McDonald's spokeswoman Lisa McComb told Business Insider "The McPick 2 for $2 offerings were always intended to be a limited-time offer; however, owner/operators are free to offer the menu items they feel their customers will enjoy most at the price they choose."

Crain's Chicago Business's Peter Frost found the initial launch of the McPick 2-for-$2 menu "may have hurt profitability in some markets because of a 'trade-down' factor, in which customers chose the $2 deal over a regular-priced entree or value meal." According to The Daily Meal, the short-lived menu "McPick 2 for $2" drew "disdain from the 26 U.S. franchisees (out of the more than 3,100 U.S. franchisees operating McDonald’s stores)."

McPick 2-for-$5
Barron's' Teresa Rivas noted that McDonald's first quarter was helped by the all-day breakfast menu and the McPick 2 value menu. Nomura Group's Mark Kalinowski pointed out franchisees "greatly prefer" the McPick 2-for-$5 over the previous approach. According to The Daily Meal, franchise operators viewed the increase "much more favorably." Eater's Whitney Filloon was critical, comparing it to the value menus of Burger King and Wendy's, "[d]espite its inclusion of more 'premium' offerings like Big Macs, the two-for-$5 switcheroo makes McDonald's value deal seem considerably more expensive than deals other fast-food chains are promoting right now." Investor's Business Daily's Vance Cariaga reported "positive results from its McPick initiative." Nation's Restaurant News's Jonathan Maze said franchise operators cited the value offers for "generating sales."

Mozarella Sticks
Eater's Whitney Filloon said "two bucks for two orders of mozzarella sticks wasn't actually that great of a deal when they turned out to be hollow inside." Fortune's Michal Addady called the order "a steal, unless of course they’re cheeseless."