CHICAGO (AP) If you’re not ready to get a chicken meal ready ahead of the holidays, now might be a good time to start, says McDonald’s.
The fast-food chain is offering free meals to parents, who can pick up a free chicken meal at any participating store and a chicken dinner with a $3 donation to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the Veterans Health Administration and the American Red Cross.
Parents can also pick up an all-you-can-eat chicken dinner, complete with sides and fries, for $3.99.
“We’re really trying to reach our customers who don’t necessarily want to eat chicken or don’t know what to do with chicken, or who just want to go out and enjoy a meal,” McDonald’s chief marketing officer, Jim Gatto, said in a phone interview.
“You can choose the meal of your choice and the amount of money you want to donate.”
A new feature is available for people who want to pick up their meal at a participating McDonald’s store.
The feature lets people pick up at any McDonald’s and order an all you can eat meal or order a whole chicken and chicken soup with a portion.
The meals come in a bag, and they are free to order.
It is unclear if McDonald’s will offer the free meal to all U..
S.-based customers.
“This is an amazing opportunity to help our customers get the most out of their meal,” Gatto said.
The new feature was developed with support from the National Chicken Council and other organizations, including the American College of Nutrition, the National Restaurant Association and the National Association of Counties.
“I think it is really helpful for people to be able to pick the chicken they want to make,” said Mark D. Deutsch, a nutritionist with the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases at the National Institutes of Health.
The free meal is a nice change of pace, but the company said it has not seen a need for the new feature, and the free chicken dinner is for kids.
McDonald’s has not said how many customers the free dinner will help, but McDonald’s is expecting to receive more than 20 million free orders, which could make the event a hit with kids.
A free meal does not come with a meal, but Gatto says the company is giving away free chicken, chicken soup and fries to families who don.