McDonald’s offering a local ‘pothole special’

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This article was published 13/04/2023 (1230 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

What do Winnipeg roads and McDonald’s have in common? Potholes.

However, the latter likely won’t have Manitobans veering here and there, cursing and later checking their vehicles for damage. Instead, the global fast-food chain is offering a local “pothole special,” discounting items like cheeseburgers and small soft drinks.

“I do like the sausage McMuffin,” said Mark Ambridge thoughtfully.

He sat outside a McDonald’s at 1186 Main St., glancing at the company’s electronic sign. Lighting up the screen were red words — Pothole Special Sausage McMuffin $2.49.

“Maybe it’s full of holes,” he joked. “They’re everywhere.”

He’s seen the sign a couple of days now. The promotion began at the beginning of April and will last until “most of the potholes get fixed up,” according to franchisee Ryan McCullough.

Fourteen Winnipeg McDonald’s, including 10 owned by McCullough, are selling cheeseburgers and sausage McMuffins for $2.49, and small soft drinks for $1.49.

“In Winnipeg, in the early spring, many drivers experience potholes at their surprise, and sometimes this can be quite alarming, and sometimes very sad,” McCullough said.

“We thought we could put on a special that could make people feel happier when they’re driving around the city.”

A sausage McMuffin at a St. Mary’s Avenue location, not participating in the deal, is $2.59 pre-tax, according to the McDonald’s app. A cheeseburger cost $2.79.

“I guess it’s good for business,” Blair Alexander, a SkipTheDishes worker waiting for orders at the Main Street McDonald’s, said of the special.

After all, potholes are everywhere, Alexander noted.

“Leila’s pretty bad right now,” he cautioned. “There’s a big sinkhole (nearby) too.”

He doesn’t want to be reminded of potholes — but hey, if it brings in customers, more power to McDonald’s, he said.

McCullough launched the special last year. He didn’t track whether sales increased — that’s not what it’s about, he said.

McCullough anticipates this year’s special will end in May.

CAA Manitoba couldn’t say how many pothole-related calls they’ve gotten this year; they don’t track the data. However, tow-winch calls are more numerous than usual, said Elisha Dacey, the company’s communications manager.

“We can likely attribute that to pothole damage on our Members’ vehicles,” she wrote in an email. “The same thing happened last spring.”

Drivers seem to be playing “puddle or pothole?” right now, Dacey wrote. Swerving out of the way isn’t ideal, because it could lead to a collision, she added.

“Best bet in most cases is to slow down, take it easy going over the pothole and listen for damage,” Dacey wrote.

McCullough’s McDonald’s locations offering the pothole special are: 1049 Notre Dame Ave., 77 Goulet St., 630 Pembina Hwy., 847 Leila Ave., 1186 Main St., 375 Osborne St., 979 Henderson Hwy., 1525 King Edward St., 11 Devonshire Dr., 1475 Regent Ave. West.

The chain’s sites at Cityplace Winnipeg, the Walmart on McPhillips Street, Club Regent Casino and McPhillips Station Casino are also participating.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com