McDonald's is raising the cost of some of its coffee range today - the second price hike in its menu in just six weeks.
The burger giant has said its black and white coffees would be going up by 20p, from 99p to £1.19, although prices will vary across restaurants as some are operated by franchisees. Although McDonald's can recommend how its franchises set their prices, it can't order them to.
A spokesperson told The Mirror that the restaurant chain “chose to pass on much of” the temporary VAT cut for businesses in 2020 and had until now “maintained those lowered prices across our coffee range”.
“Although we have now made a small change to these prices, the price of black and white coffee remains below that of early 2020 – and is actually comparable to price in the majority of our restaurants in 2010,” they said.
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Even after the price rise - and assuming a similar hike across its whole hot drinks range - McDonald's remains one of the best places to grab a coffee when you are out and about, with its range of drinks costing much less than high street chains such as Starbucks and Costa.
A McDonald's latte is £1.89, when a recent survey found that the price of the nation’s favourite cup topped £3 at major chains for the first time earlier this year. The average price of a latte rose by a record 11% in a year to £3.25, according to research by the coffee industry analysts Allegra, and the cost of a flat white rose by 30p to an average of £3.14, compared to £1.89 for the McDonald's version.
The latest increase comes after McDonald’s hiked the price of five items on February 15, with the Mayo Chicken rising from 99p to £1.19 and the Bacon Mayo Chicken going from £1.59 to £1.79. The Bacon Double Cheeseburger, the Triple Cheeseburger and a Medium Fizzy Drink also increased in price.
McDonald’s also raised prices in July 2022 with its classic single cheeseburger going up for the first time in 14 years, from 99p to £1.19.
The price rises come amid a raft of menu hikes from major eating places, with businesses putting increases down to a rise in the cost of ingredients and running their restaurants, including higher energy bills and staff wages.
Chicken chain Nando’s upped its prices by 16% on the back of an eight per cent increase last year, and pub chain Wetherspoon has also increased prices across drinks and food items by around 7.5%, which adds up to 29p on a pint and around 75p on food.
Geordie favourites Greggs increased the price of a Greggs sausage roll from £1.15 to £1.20 in January – the fourth time it has gone up in a little over 12 months.
The McDonald's spokesperson said: “We carefully review and adjust our prices to ensure that while some prices may change, we maintain great value and quality across our menu. At the same time, we continue to work hard on how we can provide our customers value where it matters most, from personalised offers and rewards through the MyMcDonald’s Rewards scheme, to promotions such as our newly launched ‘peel to win’ game, Winning Sips.”
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