Wendy's (WEN) in April changed its popular 4 for $4, taking the choice of sandwich out of its most-popular offer.
Previously, the value meal let customers choose between a Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger, the Crispy Chicken sandwich, the Doublestack (which has is a Jr. Cheeseburger with two patties), or a Jr. Cheeseburger. Now, the fast-food chain offers the 4 for $4 only with a Jr. Cheeseburger.
That's a pretty big change and you can blame rising costs for food, labor, and everything else. Wendy's wanted to maintain the $4 price point -- it's important for some of its customers -- but it wanted to push more people into a slightly higher one.
To do that, the fast-food giant brought back its $5 Biggie Bag promotion and made it attractive in the way the 4 for $4 used to be.
It still offers the basic 4 for $4 -- a Jr. Cheeseburger, a four-piece chicken nuggets (crispy or spicy), a Jr. Fry, and a value drink -- but that's the only value meal it sells for $4.
Wendy's has, however, added the $5 Biggie Bag, which includes a Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger, a Double Stack, or a Crispy Chicken BLT to go with your 4 PC. chicken nuggets, small fries, and small drink.
That's still a strong value, and rival Burger King, a Restaurant Brands International (QSR) chain, has made a big change to its most-popular value menu deal to counter it, Chewboom reported.
Image source: Burger King
Burger King Changes the 2 for $5 Mix n' Match
Burger King has its own $5 deal that rivals the Wendy's Biggie Bag, the 2 for $5 Mix n' Match. That deal is a little different from what Wendy's offer because it's strictly for two main courses. It does not come with fries and a drink.
The burger chain has. however, expanded the selection being offered in the Mix n" Match to include its popular Chicken Fries. Now, for $5 Burger King customers can pick from among the following choices (selecting two):
- Big King Sandwich
- Fish Sandwich
- Original Chicken Sandwich
- Single Quarter Pound King Sandwich
- 9-piece Chicken Fries
Burger King does offer the $5 Your Way meal, which includes a Double Whopper Jr, 4pc chicken nuggets, fries, and a fountain drink. It has also had a $10 double version of the Mix n' Match, which did include a small fries and a small drink, but it does not currently list that promotion.
Burger King Is Protecting the Whopper
Burger King has been conscious of offering value but has made an effort not to include its most famous sandwich in those deals. During the company's fourth-quarter earnings call, Restaurant Brands Chief Executive Jose Cil talked about not devaluing the Whopper.
"And while we always strive to provide excellent value for money on a full menu basis, going forward we will be purposeful and targeted when we choose to promote this iconic asset," he said.
The CEO did make very clear that value matters to Burger King.
"Value also remains important to our guests and core to our business," he said. "One of our key priorities is to establish a strong value menu that will drive incremental traffic, specifically by creating a powerful Have It Your Way value menu and addressing its rightful place in our overall menu architecture."
