McRib Mania: How Seasonal Offers Drive Fast Food Choices

Consumers Crave Deals and Promotions

Special offers and seasonal deals are driving consumer choices in fast food during the holiday season.

5% of respondents mentioned Chick-fil-A’s 12 day app promotion without prompting and 1% mentioned McDonald’s peppermint shake..

The Appeal of Seasonal and Limited-Time Offerings

Diners want deals…

Respondents notice and appreciate seasonal offerings.

34% of respondents mention deals and promotions as a driver in choosing a fast food restaurant.

“Definitely when there are specials, Subway was running buy one, get one free, buy one second, one half off. Those kind of things will definitely lead me towards Subway. I'm always looking for a deal.”

“If they have a good deal, that would make me more encouraged to eat there. One recently was the Wendy's Biggie Bag deal.”

Seasonal snacks sell…

Respondents notice and appreciate seasonal offerings.

35% of respondents mention limited time items and seasonal foods as a driver in choosing a fast food restaurant.

“Sometimes they have special things that are limited time only I want to try. So I'd probably eat there before I ate at the other place because I want to try that new thing.”

“If there's something particularly interesting to try, a novel new food. A while back, Burger King had the mac and Cheetos, the macaroni and cheese bites that were dusted with Cheetos dust. I went there just to try those. So if there's a stunt food or something that's being heavily promoted, perhaps I'll give that a try.”

The McRib: A Seasonal Sensation

13% of respondents mentioned McRibs without prompting.

“McDonald's was recently bringing back the McRib, and I haven't had one in years, and they used to be so good. I would actually make a special trip just to go and get a couple of those to have them." 

"It is the season of the McRibs, so I will be eating McDonald's a lot."