McDonald’s Owner Sued for Charging Extra for 'Value' Meal

DES PLAINES, IL - An “Extra Value Meal” at McDonald’s restaurants in some north suburbs are anything but a value, one man points out in a consumer fraud class action lawsuit filed against one McDonald’s licensee.

James Gertie says the Karis Management Company that operates more than 10 McDonald’s restaurants in the north suburbs including several in Des Plaines and Niles offers a ‘Two Cheeseburger Meal’ for $5.90. But if all items included in the meal were sold a la carte, the total would come to $5.49.

Gertie purchased the meal from at least five of the defendant's restaurants in Des Plaines and Niles over a one-month span from October to November this year, he claims in the Cook County lawsuit reported by The Cook County Record.

Each time he was charged $5.90 for a combination of two cheeseburgers, a medium order of French fries and a medium soft drink, but the prices of the items added separately ($2.50 for the cheeseburgers, $1.99 for french fries and $1 for the soft drink) add up to only $5.49.

“Defendant, the operator of several McDonald’s restaurants, advertised for sale a food combination designated as an ‘Extra Value Meal’ but the combination actually costs more than if each item were bought separately, thus making it no ‘value’ at all, let alone an ‘extra value,’” according to the lawsuit.

Karis also operates McDonald’s restaurants in Wheeling, Antioch, Grayslake and Volo.

More via The Cook County Record