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Siler City, NC, USA. January 16th, 2011. McDonalds restaurant during the lunch hour. Cars lined up at drive thru window.
jessicaphoto/istockphoto

Earlier this month, we decided to ask our readers a very important question: If you had $10 to spend at McDonald’s, what would you get?

It’s a simple question, but people had a whole lot to say. From chicken sandwiches to burgers and fries, here’s what our readers are getting from Mickey D’s with 10 bucks in their pocket.

McDonald
Wilder Shaw / Cheapism

Big Mac

$4.79

We would have expected to see more people wanting cheeseburgers, but the Big Mac seemed to be the most popular sandwich choice. That middle bun is crucial for creating a more filling meal out of $10.

McDonald
Joe Raedle / Getty

Fries, Obviously

$2.99

French fries are what most people go to McDonald’s for in the first place, so it’s no surprise that our readers made it quite clear that they’re not leaving without them.

McDonald
McDonald’s USA

McChicken

$2.19

The McChicken was an immensely popular choice, too, with nearly as many people calling for it as they did for the Big Mac. It is, after all, the best thing on the McDonald’s value menu.

“10 McChickens! I do the survey on the receipt to buy one sandwich get one free!” one reader pointed out. That’s the Cheapism mentality, right there.

McDonald
McDonald’s

Breakfast

Many of the responses pointed towards a pre-10 a.m. run to McDondald’s for breakfast. Those Egg McMuffins are legendary, dear friends. 

mcdonalds asian chicken salad canada
McDonald’s

Asian Chicken Salad

One lone guy chose the Asian chicken salad, which is one person more than we would have expected. Bad news, bud: It was discontinued.

A Panera Bread restaurant in Manteca, California.
Photo credit: Panera Bread Employee by Harrison Keely (CC BY)

A Different Restaurant Entirely

At least half the crowd suggested skipping McDonald’s entirely. “Drive to Panera,” one person suggested, while another said, “I’m getting in my truck and going to Five Guys.” (People with trucks really love to tell people that they have trucks.) Driving past McDonald’s to hit Subway or a grocery store was also thrown out there. Clearly, not everybody’s smitten with the golden arches.

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Meet the Writer

Wilder Shaw is a staff writer at Cheapism who has written for publications like The Washington Post