It’s pricey for McDonald\u2019s, but the collectible box and Grinch socks soften the blow.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\nMcDonald\u2019s holiday collaborations have always lived somewhere between chaotic and charming, but this year, the chain asked, “What if we let a fictional green hater of Christmas redesign the menu?” On December 2, The Grinch Meal hit locations nationwide\u2014complete with a limited-edition box, collectible socks, and, most importantly, dill pickle-seasoned McShaker Fries making their U.S. debut. <\/p>\n
On paper, the meal reads as many of McDonald\u2019s special-edition drops: a regular entr\u00e9e (Big Mac or<\/em> 10-piece McNugget), fries, a drink, and one buzzy new element. But this time the star is undeniably that neon-green \u201cGrinch Salt\u201d packet. And yes, you do the shaking yourself.<\/p>\nIn NYC, the meal rang up at $17.74, which honestly made my jaw drop. I\u2019ve eaten full sit-down lunches for less. But McDonald\u2019s is clearly betting on nostalgia, novelty, and\u2014let\u2019s be real\u2014the free socks to carry the experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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![\"mcdonalds](\"https:\/\/hips.hearstapps.com\/hmg-prod\/images\/img-1937-69320663db572.jpg?crop=0.752xw:1.00xh;0.122xw,0&resize=980:*\" "\\"mcdonalds")
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Steven Morea<\/span><\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\nLet\u2019s Talk About These Grinch Fries<\/h2>\n
The meal arrives with a paper McShaker bag. You dump the fries inside, sprinkle on the seasoning, and shake like you\u2019re trying to summon all of Whoville. To its credit, the method works; the fries get evenly coated, no clumps, no chaos (well, minimal chaos).<\/p>\n
Flavor-wise? They slap. Hard.<\/p>\n
Despite \u201csalt\u201d being in the name, the seasoning doesn\u2019t make the fries unbearably salty. Instead, it adds a bold, vinegary dill pickle tang that makes your taste buds pucker in the best way possible. I kept reaching back into the bag for the fries until I hit the leftover seasoning at the bottom. If McDonald\u2019s doesn\u2019t turn this into a full pickle menu one day, they\u2019re leaving money on the table.<\/p>\n
But here\u2019s the catch: shaking fries is fun once. Doing it every time you crave dill pickle fries? That\u2019s a harder sell. A pre-seasoned option would\u2019ve been elite.<\/p>\n\n\n
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![\"fries\"](\"https:\/\/hips.hearstapps.com\/hmg-prod\/images\/img-1943-69320765863f1.jpg?crop=0.405xw:0.540xh;0.121xw,0.365xh&resize=980:*\" "\\"fries\\"")
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Steven Morea<\/span><\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\nThe Rest Of The Meal<\/h2>\n
The socks, available in four festive Grinch colors, are actually adorable and feel like the best justification for the price. The box is also a cute limited-edition moment, very \u201cadult Happy Meal but for people who find themselves saying \u2018I am the Grinch\u2019 during holiday travel.\u201d<\/p>\n
As for the Big Mac\/Nugget combo, it\u2019s exactly what it always is. The same comforting and reliable meal millions of people enjoy every day. <\/p>\n
Final Thoughts<\/h2>\n
Is The Grinch Meal overpriced? Absolutely. Did I enjoy it anyway? Also yes.<\/p>\n
The dill pickle fries are the standout, and I hope this becomes the first step toward a chaotic brine-forward McDonald\u2019s era. The socks are a fun collectible. And while the whole thing feels like holiday marketing crack, sometimes the season calls for a little unhinged joy.<\/p>\n
If your inner Grinch demands food, theatrics, and a pair of novelty socks, McDonald\u2019s has you covered.
<\/p>\n\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Grinch Meal includes your choice of Big Mac or Nuggets, a medium drink, and DIY dill pickle \u201cGrinch Salt\u201d McShaker Fries. The seasoning is new to the U.S. and surprisingly addictive, though the DIY shake experience gets old fast. It’s pricey for McDonald\u2019s, but the collectible box and Grinch […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1133,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1132","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-food-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1132","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1132"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1132\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1133"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1132"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1132"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1132"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}