The Best Fast Food Deal in Existence, According to My Dad

It's a throwback to the good ol’ dollar menu days.

If there’s one thing my dad is passionate about, it is fast food prices. Bring up the current cost of a Chick-fil-A milkshake, you’ll be in for a 30-minute rant, minimum.

My dad, John, is a simple man who grew up on a Whopper with cheese and can still recite the Big Mac recipe in under 4 seconds. And he, like most of us, just wants a classic burger and nuggets from the drive-thru for a decent price—is that so hard to ask for? His loyalties to his fast food favorites are slowly fading with the ever-rising costs of menu items—that is, at every restaurant but one: McDonald's.

The Best Value Meal at McDonald’s

There’s one value menu my dad still holds to high standards, and because of this, he returns week after week. If you’ve never heard of it, it’s called the Mix-and-Match meal, and it can get you a filling fast food meal for $4.

“In my experience, all the fast food chains have a value pack or a value meal, whatever, but what ends up happening is you get a reduced size,” he explains. “Whereas McDonald's picks their regular menu items and says if you buy them both, we’ll give them to you for a deal.”

The Mix-and-Match menu goes like this: you can choose two full-sized entrees from a menu of four fan-favorite options, the McChicken, the McDouble with Cheese, a 6-piece McNugget, and the Filet-O-Fish (although options may vary by location). You can even get two of the same item if your heart desires.

Best of all, there’s no special in-app nonsense to deal with—believe me, he wouldn’t have the patience for that.

“You know what it is?,” he continues, “It’s a throwback to the old days when you could get full meal at a fast-food restaurant for 5 bucks. It’s almost impossible these days. Look what some of these places charge for a dozen nuggets nowadays, or, heaven forbid, a milkshake,” (I told you the Chick-fil-A shake was still a sensitive topic).

My dad’s order is a double cheeseburger and a 6-piece nugget, or two double cheeseburgers. “Either way, I’m out of there for $3.99”. That being said, the price of this deal might vary at each individually owned and operated restaurant location, so his side of town might be cheaper than others.

Now, here’s another important note: never add fries and a drink. Those additions aren’t included, and that’s where the restaurant can really start to tack on extra costs. So, bring your own beverage and (although tempting) skip the fries to get the most bang for your buck.

“I remember going to McDonald's when I was in the little league after games, and a Big Mac, fries, and a Coke was $2.99. Here we are 35-40 years later, and you can still have a decent meal for $3.99 if you bring your own drink. That’s pretty impressive."

Read the original article on All Recipes.