A new year calls for new value menus, and a few major fast-food chains are rolling out fresh offerings to lure back an increasing number of financially-conscious customers.
McDonald’s kicked off 2025 with its brand-new value menu, which was available starting Tuesday. The “McValue” menu features a popular $5 meal deal introduced last June along with a new “Buy One, Add One for $1” option that includes breakfast. Customers can customize their own deals by purchasing one full-priced menu item from the McValue menu and adding another item of their choice for just $1. The breakfast menu includes the Sausage McMuffin, Sausage Biscuit, Sausage Burrito and Hash Browns. The lunch and dinner items include the 6-pc. Chicken McNuggets, Double Cheeseburger, McChicken and Small Fries.
The McValue menu also includes app-exclusive offers and local deals organized by the chain’s franchisees. Additionally, McDonald’s released a new marketing campaign for its menu featuring John Cena, a “lifelong fan” of the chain, the company said in a press release Tuesday.
McDonald’s latest menu was announced back in November after an E. coli outbreak linked to onions served at the chain impacted restaurant sales and traffic. Three lawsuits were filed against McDonald’s in relation to the outbreak. The first lawsuit was filed just one day after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a food safety alert concerning the Quarter Pounder.
The chain is still reeling from the health scare. CNBC reported that McDonald’s shares dropped about 7% in trading after the CDC’s announcement. Quarter Pounder hamburgers — a McDonald’s classic — were also temporarily unavailable across Colorado, Kansas, Utah and Wyoming, and at select restaurants in parts of Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico and Oklahoma. The hamburgers (sans any slivered onions) made their grand return at the end of October, per a media briefing.
In recent years, rampant fast-flation has made fast food items more unattainable for many Americans. To help counter that, McDonald’s announced last June that it would offer a limited-time combo meal that includes a choice of either a McChicken, a McDouble, or four-piece chicken nuggets, small fries and a small drink — all for just $5. Other fast-food chains soon followed suit, including Wendy’s (which dropped its $3 limited-time breakfast combo meal) and Burger King (which brought back its $5 Your Way Meal).
In the wake of McDonald’s releasing its “McValue” menu, Subway launched its brand-new daily value meal, fittingly called Meal of the Day. The offering includes a six-inch sub for $6.99 or a footlong for $9.99, alongside a choice of two cookies or a bag of chips and a small fountain drink. Subway’s popular sauce, Baja Chipotle, is also spotlighted in two new subs within the sandwich chain’s limited-time-only Baja Bliss Collection. The Baja Bliss subs are available with Chicken or Freshly Sliced Turkey and made with Artisan Italian Bread.
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“Subway’s new Meal of the Day showcases the variety of better for you ingredients across our entire menu, our signature subs, and our definition of value — where you shouldn’t have to sacrifice quality for an affordable price,” Doug Fry, President of Subway North America, said in a press release. “Whether dining on-the-go to fuel an active lifestyle or enjoying the moment after a long day, Subway has made ordering a satisfying and tasty meal a whole lot easier.”
Similarly, Wendy’s also announced its brand new 2 for $7 deal, available until March 2. The new offer allows customers to pick two of Wendy’s most popular food items for $7. Options include the Spicy Chicken Sandwich, Classic Chicken Sandwich, 10-piece Nuggs (crispy or spicy) and Dave’s Single. From Jan. 9 through Jan. 13, Wendy’s Dave’s Single will be available for just 25 cents.
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