- McDonald’s is overhauling its value menu, adding new options and a “Buy One, Add One for $1” deal.
Last summer, McDonald’s brought back the $5 value meal, with plans to run the promotion only for a month or so. But as consumers flocked back to the chain, it kept extending the run date. Now, not only is that discount lunch or dinner sticking around for the foreseeable future, McDonald’s is doubling down.
The fast-food giant has overhauled its value menu, keeping the $5 meal deal, but also adding a new “buy one, add one for $1” option. Options for that feature include breakfast items such as the Egg McMuffin and Sausage Biscuit, and daytime menu options including chicken nuggets and a double cheeseburger. Local deals and in-app specials are also included, such as a free medium fries with a $1 purchase every Friday in 2025 and a free McCrispy chicken sandwich for new App users.
To promote the new value menu, McDonald’s has enlisted WWE performer and actor John Cena. The deals go into effect today.
“When it comes to value, we know there’s no one-size-fits-all. We’ve worked closely with our franchisees to create a new platform that will let our customers define value on their own terms,” said Joe Erlinger, president of McDonald’s USA, in a statement.
The extended value meal offers come after the company was hit by an E. coli outbreak last October, which sprung from a batch of infected yellow onions. One person died, 10 were hospitalized, and nearly 50 were sickened. Several burgers, including the Quarter Pounder, were pulled from many locations. (That item is now back on the menu.)
That followed consumer complaints that the chain had become too expensive earlier this year. Customers complained at the time about $8 chicken sandwiches and $18 Big Mac meals, coining the term “McFlation.”