---
id: "entity-mcdonalds-d5"
type: "entity"
entityType: "organization"
canonicalName: "McDonald's"
aliases: ["McDonald's Corporation"]
source_timestamps: ["¶5"]
tags: ["case-study", "fast-food"]
related: ["entity-chris-kempczinski", "quote-mcdonalds-value", "framework-five-discounting-strategies"]
sources: ["commercial"]
sourceVaultSlug: "hbr-seg-commercial"
originDay: 5
articleStem: "hbr-ext-22-art-of-discounting"
sourceUrl: "https://hbr.org/2026/05/the-art-of-discounting"
sourceTitle: "The Art of Discounting"
---
# McDonald's

Cited as a prime example of a company aggressively using discounting to stay price-competitive amid inflation. McDonald's deployed an **"armada of discounts"** — including **$5 meal deals** and **under-$3 menu items** — reportedly producing **5.7% same-store sales growth in Q4 2025.** The case anchors strategy 4 (adjusting for market value) in [[framework-five-discounting-strategies]] and is voiced by its CEO in [[quote-mcdonalds-value]].

**Verification note (enrichment):** the broader affordability/traffic-driving strategy is well supported, but the exact 5.7% same-store-sales figure is *not independently confirmed* in the supplied sources — treat it as reported-by-source. Related person: [[entity-chris-kempczinski]].