McDonald’s has gotten the message from its customers loud and clear: They want cheap food.
The chain is planning to continue offering its $5 value meal, which it had initially only planned to offer for a month this summer. That plan changed as the low cost of the meal, which includes a McChicken or McDouble burger, a four-piece chicken nuggets, fries, and a drink, brought back customers who had opted for other dining options as inflation raged at the chain. (McDonald’s missed earning expectations for the first time in almost four years in 2023’s fourth quarter.)
To keep those customers coming back, the chain also reportedly plans to add more value offerings in 2025, including a “buy one, add one” option, which will let customers who purchase a double cheeseburger, a McChicken sandwich, or a six-piece order of chicken nuggets, and small fries get another for just $1. The deal will also be offered during the chain’s breakfast service for people who order a Sausage McMuffin, a sausage biscuit, or a sausage burrito, and a hash brown.
Local McDonald’s operators are in the process of approving the 2025 offerings, but they are expected to pass. Individual local special pricing offers will continue to be made available through the year as well.
“We and our franchisees have heard customers loud and clear when it comes to keeping prices as affordable as possible," McDonald's said in a statement. "From the popular $5 Meal Deal, to numerous local and in-app offers on the food they love—we went big on value this summer and fall, bringing fans even more ways to save when they visit McDonald's. And as we look to 2025, we’re cooking up something even bigger. We can’t wait to share what’s in store.”
The company could use some good news after it was hit by an E. coli outbreak in late October, which sprung from a batch of yellow onions that were infected. 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.”
