McDonald’s Malaysia has announced a one-day promotion that lets customers eat all the fried chicken they can in 32 minutes for RM32, but it is a trick.
Unlimited Ayam Goreng Mekdi is designed to look like an attractive deal. The need for registration (at the McDonald’s Malaysia website), its limited availability (Nov 24 from 12pm to 10pm), and the limited slots per restaurant (100) make it seem like an extraordinarily exclusive deal. However, the reality is that it is ordinary and plain.
McDonald’s Malaysia does not hide this fact; it is spelt out in its terms and conditions.
It said that participants in this promotion are actually paying RM32 for a dine-in five-piece box of spicy fried chicken and a medium Sprite. They can’t choose regular fried chicken, which pieces they would get, or Coke.
If the participant finishes all five pieces of spicy chicken within 32 minutes, they can ask for more spicy fried chicken for free, one piece at a time.
They can take the leftover pieces home if they cannot finish the initial five pieces of spicy fried chicken. But they cannot bring home the free pieces (the 6th onward).
Technically, McDonald’s Malaysia is honest about its promotion. The details are a click away, but not in fine print. At the same time, a box of five Ayam Goreng Mekdi pieces -regular, spicy, or mix that one can share, eat at their own pace, and eat at home- is RM30.19
McDonald’s Malaysia has recently been heavily promoting its fried chicken, especially during special occasions or festivals. This is perhaps done to attract non-Malay customers who are less likely to participate in the pro-Palestine boycott.
The McDonald’s company in Malaysia, Gerbang Alaf Restaurants Sdn Bhd, has been owned by Saudi Arabia’s Reza group and a local business partner since 2017. They said that they are Muslim owned, had denied channelling aid to Israel, and were one of the first local companies to donate RM1mil to Palestine since the genocide began.
Azizul Rahman Ismail 