After two years of tweaks to its value menu, has a new strategy: keep it simple.
The fast-food giant鈥檚 budget-focused McValue menu will have 10 items that each cost under $3 starting April 21. The breakfast items include hash browns or a Sausage McMuffin. A small order of fries or a McDouble burger are among the options the rest of the day.
Some of the items already cost less than $3 in some parts of the U.S., but others don’t. The standardized selection will replace 惭肠顿辞苍补濒诲鈥檚 current McValue menu, which lets customers choose from a limited array of $1 items if they purchase a regular-priced item.
The shift to simpler value menu messaging and more flexibility follows similar by moves by rivals of 惭肠顿辞苍补濒诲鈥檚. In January, launched a Luxe Value Menu, which also features 10 items that cost $3 or less. Panera Bread introduced its first value menu in February, with 10 items priced at $4.99 each.
Wendy鈥檚 revamped its Biggie Deals value menu in January. It now features $4 Biggie Bites, a $6 Biggie Bag and an $8 Biggie Bundle. recently added $5 bowls to its U.S. menu.
Value menus are designed to offer customers more affordable options, even as fast-food companies also bring out higher-priced items like 惭肠顿辞苍补濒诲鈥檚 Big Arch burger or Burger King鈥檚 limited-time Peppercorn BLT Whopper.
Chains have emphasized value for several years to win back customers who were frustrated by food price . Historically, prices for food away from home rise 3.5% per year, but in 2023 they rose 7%, in 2024 they rose 4% and in 2025 they rose 3.8%, according to government figures.
鈥淚n all retail, including quick-serve restaurants, 鈥榲alue鈥� has become a promotional expectation,鈥� said Roger Beahm, an emeritus professor of marketing at Wake Forest University鈥檚 School of Business.
In June 2024, 惭肠顿辞苍补濒诲鈥檚 introduced a ; it will add a $4 Breakfast Meal Deal on April 21. It debuted the in January 2025, and last fall it brought out , which promise a 15% discount for a bundled meal compared to buying items individually.
鈥淰alue matters more than ever to our customers, and we take that responsibility seriously,鈥� Alyssa Buetikofer, the chief marketing and customer experience officer for 惭肠顿辞苍补濒诲鈥檚 USA, told The Associated Press.
Buetikofer said 惭肠顿辞苍补濒诲鈥檚 has of value and affordability since 2024. But the company decided to revamp its McValue menu after customers said they wanted more flexibility and better value in the morning. Half of the items on the under-$3 menu are breakfast items.
Scott Rodrick, a 惭肠顿辞苍补濒诲鈥檚 franchisee in California, praised the new strategy. He thinks ordering will go more smoothly because customers will have fewer questions about the deals.
鈥淭he value proposition is super clear 鈥� no deep explanation or mental gymnastics needed to understand where value is on my menu board,鈥� Rodrick said.
Rodrick said the changes received broad support from franchisees and most U.S. stores will be offering them. Around 95% of 惭肠顿辞苍补濒诲鈥檚 U.S. stores are owned and operated by franchisees, who set their own pricing.
Fast food鈥檚 juggling act 鈥� investing in value through promotions and discounts while raising prices on some premium items 鈥� appears to be paying off, according to Revenue Management Solutions, a restaurant consulting company. In February, customer traffic at U.S. fast-food restaurants rose less than 1% compared to the same month year. Traffic was down 2% during the last three months of 2025 and in January.
But the company warned that due to the likely impacted fast-food traffic in March. That could put pressure on fast-food chains to offer even more value.
The term 鈥渧alue鈥� is at risk of overuse, Beahm said. Over time, the surprise-and-delight of a deal loses its appeal, and customers forget what they used to pay for certain products, he said.
鈥淚f everything is always positioned as a value, then can anything really be a value?鈥� Beahm said.
He thinks new products are a good strategy for attracting customers. Improving service or offering unexpected perks 鈥� like a donation to a charity with every purchase 鈥� are other ways.
Jennifer Fritch, an assistant professor of marketing at Arcadia University, agreed. The fast-food market is crowded, she said, and focusing solely on price turns food into a commodity. Younger customers, in particular, are looking for emotional experiences, personalization and transparency about ingredients, and are willing to pay more when they find them, she said.
鈥淚f it鈥檚 just cheap food, that鈥檚 not a winning long-term strategy,鈥� Fritch said. 鈥淭he list of demands and list of expectations is higher than it has ever been, and it鈥檚 insufficient to try to gain sales just on cost.鈥�
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