The food industry is becoming increasingly difficult to navigate as consumer spending declines, operating costs rise, and competition intensifies.
In response, many fast-food chains are excelling at menu innovation, rolling out limited-time items and collaborations to entice consumers.
This December 2, both McDonald’s and Burger King partnered with nostalgic franchises to debut limited-time themed meals and menu items.
However, demand was so strong that some locations reportedly ran out of many of the limited-time offers within days of their release, resulting in widespread shortages and fueling customer frustration across the country.
McDonald’s (MCD), in partnership with Dr. Seuss Enterprises, launched The Grinch Meal in the US, a festive package inspired by the classic “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” movie.
Although this was a first for the United States, it was introduced last year in select international markets, including Canada, Ireland, Australia and the United Kingdom.
New Dill Pickle McShaker Fries
Choice of a Big Mac or 10 pieces Chicken McNuggets
A average drink
a pair of holiday themed Grinch socks in one of four designs
Grinch themed Happy Meal packaging
Burger King has unveiled its own nostalgic collaboration, called the SpongeBob Movie Menu, with Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob SquarePants to celebrate the upcoming movie “The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants.”
The promotion includes a themed menu and two set meals.
SpongeBob’s Krabby Whopper
Mr. Krabs Cheesy Bacon Tots
Patrick’s Star-berry Shortcake Pie
Pirate’s Frozen Pineapple Float
Bikini Bottom Package: All four new menu items packaged in a pineapple-shaped Undersea Box
King Jr. meal: A special edition children’s lunch in a pineapple-shaped Undersea Box, including one of six collectible SpongeBob toys and a limited edition crown
McDonald’s and Burger King face backlash after selling out of their limited-time promotions.Shutterstock” loading=”eager” height=”540″ width=”960″ class=”yf-1gfnohs loader”/>
McDonald’s and Burger King face backlash after quickly selling out their limited-time promotions.Shutterstock
As excitement for the new releases grew, many locations of both chains ran out of food items and promotional merchandise much earlier than customers expected, leading to even more frustration online.
One Reddit user posted a thread claiming that their local McDonald’s continued to sell The Grinch Meal despite running out of socks, only informing them after the order had been placed and already paid for, without offering any discount.
A commenter shared a similar experience, explaining that they asked for the price difference to be reimbursed.
“It wasn’t much, but it was the principle of the matter,” wrote the commentator.
An employee of McDonald’s identified himself also weighed, commented: “My store is over and we disabled the meal from being bought. It seems that someone at work did not know what they were doing.”
Another proclaimed McDonald’s worker commented: “The Corporation explicitly told all the restaurants that we could continue the Grinch meals if we ran out of boxes or shaker bags. But if we ran out of spices or socks, we had to stop selling them and put them on outage immediately for this reason.”
McDonald’s responded in a statement to TheStreet.
“The Grinch promised a holiday treat, and our fans jumped to their feet… The Grinch Meal is selling out left and right. We’re thrilled that his meal has become a huge success, and that customers are making new memories with their stocking stuffers.”
The company also noted that The Grinch Meal was intended to be available for a limited time, while supplies last. Although the restaurants have started to sell out, the meal is still being served in some restaurants around the country, but it is expected that most locations will run out in the coming days.
Burger King was not spared from supply constraints either. One Reddit user posted a thread claiming that most Los Angeles locations were already sold out of The SpongeBob Movie Menu just two days after launch.
A New York City user reported the same issue, commenting: “I’m in NYC and every Burger King is sold out. They removed the collaboration from their site and online ordering. Now I have to wait and see if maybe it comes back.”
A self-identified Burger King employee accused the store of underestimating demand and customers for overbuying, commenting: “It didn’t help that customers were buying 4 or more. The place I worked ran out of the pineapple float in a day and a half, ran out of pies and bacon tots yesterday. It depends on when your order came out the manager. There’s nothing they can do.”
Burger King responded in a statement to TheStreet:
“Additional supplies are on their way to restaurants early next week, and our Team Members are hard at work behind the grill to keep the Bikini Bottom fun going. This is a limited-time collaboration and items are only available while supplies last, so availability may vary by location.”
Fast-food chains typically rely on demand forecasting and inventory management to estimate supplies and reduce waste. Because both collaborations were limited-time releases, McDonald’s and Burger King likely based their projections on historical data from similar promotions.
Shortages are actually a positive indicator that demand has exceeded expectations, suggesting that the new offerings are sitting with consumers.
This is not the first time McDonald’s has faced this issue. Earlier this year, the relaunch of the Snack Wrap led to a shortage of lettuce in some places.
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The chain quickly resolved the problem, but in the meantime, it instructed affected franchisees to prioritize lettuce in wraps and temporarily reduce its use in other menu items, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Despite the hiccups, McDonald’s US comparable sales rose 2.4% year over year in the third quarter of fiscal 2025, attributing the growth to its efforts to provide customers with everyday value, menu innovation, and compelling marketing.
Restaurant Brands International’s (QSR) Burger King also saw positive results from its past menu innovation investments, with US comparable sales up 3.2% in the third quarter of fiscal 2025.
Related: Hershey creates wild new holiday candy lineup
This story was originally published by TheStreet on December 9, 2025, where it first appeared in the Restaurants section. Add TheStreet as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
