alt Hacker NewsI don't know how this actually works, but this can't _always_ be the case if they run national ad campaigns [1] for $5 meal deals, right? Unless they're baking a lot into "pricing and participation may vary"
[1] https://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en-us/full-menu/5-dollar-meals....
If you scroll down, in small text you'll see:
*Prices and participation may vary.
That said, McDonalds corporate isn't running promotions unilaterally. Instead, promotions are proposed by committees elected by franchisees and voted on by franchisees themselves, so participation rates tend to be high.