McDonald's Says No To Egg Surcharges, Celebrates 50 Years Of Egg McMuffin: 'Breakfast Experience Anchored In Great Value'

Restaurant giant McDonald's Corp MCD is celebrating 50 years of breakfast with specials and promotions that brush off the egg surcharges other restaurant chains have added with the breakfast commodity hitting record highs.

What Happened: While restaurants like Waffle House and Denny's Corporation DENN are adding egg surcharges to pass the rising costs of eggs back to consumers, McDonald's is offering some relief for its customers.

The company announced its celebration of 50 years of the Egg McMuffin breakfast sandwich with special deals and increased breakfast options.

McDonald's launched the Egg McMuffin nationwide in 1975 and will celebrate the 50^th anniversary with National Egg McMuffin Day on March 2. On that day, McDonald's app users can get an Egg McMuffin or Sausage McMuffin with Egg breakfast sandwich for $1.

"50 years later, it's still the GOAT. In honor of this golden anniversary, the Golden Arches are doubling down on breakfast – offering fans even more reasons to wake up with McDonald's and save on their favorites," the restaurant company said.

Another promotion running March 3 through March 30 offers buy one get one free on Sausage McMuffin with Egg sandwiches using McDelivery through the McDonald's app.

The restaurant company also announced its bagel sandwiches are now available nationwide, including options like the Bacon, Egg & Cheese and the Steak, Egg & Cheese. McDonald's is also expanding its partnership with Krispy Kreme DNUT to offer donuts in New York, its latest expansion. By the end of 2025, over half of the U.S. McDonald's locations are expected to have Krispy Kreme donuts.

"At McDonald's, breakfast isn't just a meal; it's a cherished tradition and cornerstone of our brand," McDonald's USA president Joe Erlinger said. "Every morning when we open our doors, we are a breakfast restaurant."

Erlinger added that McDonald's customers can count on the company's "one-of-a-kind breakfast experience, anchored in great value and high-quality ingredients."

Why It's Important: Waffle House recently announced a 50 cent surcharge on eggs due to the record highs. Denny's followed with a plan to add a temporary surcharge on eggs based on individual markets.

McDonald's North American chief impact officer Michael Gonda took a shot at the other restaurants in a post celebrating McDonald's new breakfast promotions.

"While many in the U.S. are talking about [eggs], we've had something in the works for a while and the timing couldn't be better (important side note: unlike others making news recently, you definitely WON'T see McDonald's USA issuing surcharge on eggs, which are 100% cage-free and sourced in the U.S.)," Gonda said.

The timing of McDonald's breakfast themed promotions could be a catalyst to watch for investors after the company's fourth-quarter financial results missed estimates.

The company reported a 0.3% year-over-year sales decline in the fourth quarter with U.S. comparable sales down 1.4% year-over-year.

McDonald's is seeing increased user counts for its app and the breakfast promotions could add to that total, giving the restaurant giant another way to market its products and promotions to a large user base.

"We're playing to win, focusing on our customers with outstanding value, exciting menu innovation and culturally relevant marketing," McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski said during the third-quarter financial results.

MCD Price Action: McDonald's stock is down 1% to $307.73 on Wednesday versus a 52-week trading range of $243.53 to $317.90. McDonald's stock is up 4% over the last year.

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