Out of nowhere, McDonald’s Happy Meal is back in its heyday. Surprisingly, the main customers are adults, not children. Is it because of the kidults who are looking for toys for Happy Meal? No. The recent trend of adults ordering kids’ meals in the U.S. has hidden complicated reasons. According to a survey by market researcher Lightspeed Commerce, 44 percent of adults in the U.S. “They often choose the kids’ meal for themselves.” In another survey, more than one in three respondents said they “often choose the kids’ menu.”
The reason is clear: affordable, moderate in portion, and simple on the menu. With prices for dining out rising 3.9 percent year-on-year in recent years, adults are embracing kids’ wheat as a “smart choice” for rational consumption.
At McDonald’s in New York, a cheeseburger happy meal costs $5.19 and a regular quarter-founder set costs $11.39, more than double the difference. This is why consumers say, “The taste is similar, but the burden is half.”
Recently, an increasing number of adults are opting for a “less-eating” diet due to health, weight management, or taking appetite suppressive medications. A “moderate amount” of kids’ wheat is a perfect choice for this tendency. In addition, the popularity of “simple consumption,” which requires a simple meal instead of a complicated customized menu, has also contributed to the happiness of the meal.
Besides economic reasons and weight management, perfume is an important background of the happy meal boom. Happy meal toys, packaging, and memories of those times stimulate longing for “simple and happy times.” McDonald’s released a limited edition for adults called McDonaldland Meal, making perfume a marketing point. The set containing toys became a hot topic on social media and received responses that “it feels like I’m back to my childhood.”
Not only fast food but also some restaurants are embracing this trend.
Habit Burger Grill in the U.S. has reorganized its menu so that adult customers can order without hesitation, saying, “Kidsmeal is a symbol of rational consumption.” Experts say, “Kidsmeal is stimulating new consumer sentiment by combining small meals, reasonable prices and perfume marketing.”
SAM KIM
US ASIA JOURNAL
