GLOBAL – The world’s largest QSR chain, McDonald’s has furthered the ongoing value wars in the fast food sector with the launch of its McValue menu on January 7.
McDonald’s new value menu lineup features the US$5 Meal Deal, exclusive in-app offers, local food and drink discounts, and a “Buy One, Add One for US$1” promotion, according to a November 22 press release.
The US$1 add-on deal applies to both breakfast and lunch/dinner items.
Breakfast options include the Sausage McMuffin, sausage biscuit, sausage burrito, and hashbrowns, while lunch and dinner choices feature a six-piece Chicken McNuggets, double cheeseburger, McChicken, and small fries.
Company executives highlighted that the new menu platform, set for a 2025 rollout, is designed to strengthen McDonald’s value proposition following a decline in Q2 2024 sales.
The chain also plans to focus on value messaging to address the fallout from an E. coli outbreak linked to slivered onions in Quarter Pounders, which affected customer traffic.
Previously, McDonald’s value offerings were managed on a fragmented, local basis. The new McValue menu aims to deliver a unified message while preserving franchisees’ ability to adapt deals to their markets.
Cory Watson, McDonald’s owner/operator and National Value Chair for 2025, emphasized the importance of customer-focused solutions.
“As local small business owners, my fellow franchisees and I are always listening to what our customers want from their neighborhood McDonald’s,” Watson stated. “We’re committed to continuing to serve up great local deals — from special discount pricing on fan-favorite à la carte items to unique meal bundles.”
The updated platform also seeks to address growing concerns over affordability, which has affected consumer perceptions of the brand.
A LendingTree report earlier this year revealed that 62% of North American consumers are eating less fast food due to rising prices and birthed the current value deal wars in the QSR sector.
In response to allegations of doubling prices, McDonald’s clarified that its price increases have been slower than inflation.
Other fast-food chains, such as Popeyes and Papa Johns, have also announced plans to expand their value offerings in 2025. Both chains reported declining same-store sales in Q3, citing challenges in attracting price-sensitive customers in a highly competitive, discount-driven market.
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