Franchise News
The burger giant is cutting combo meal prices, launching new breakfast deals and reinforcing national promotions as part of a broader strategy to adapt to today’s economic pressures.
McDonald’s is taking significant steps to improve its value perception across all dayparts, responding to customer concerns about pricing. The company and its franchisees have agreed to cut the price of eight combo meals by 15% compared to purchasing items separately, with the promotion running from September 2025 through early 2026. Financial support from McDonald’s will back participating franchisees, and both corporate and operators will help market the deals. The brand is also introducing new “Extra Value Meals,” including $5 breakfast combos and $8 Big Mac and McNugget meals.
The value push comes after McDonald’s reported a 2.5% increase in same-store sales in Q2, following two quarters of negative comps. Growth was fueled by a combination of menu innovation, such as the Minecraft Movie Meal and McCrispy Strips, and prior value promotions, including $5 Meal Deals, Buy One Get One for $1 offers, $2.99 Snack Wraps and the Daily Double Burger addition.
Despite these gains, CEO Chris Kempczinski says that roughly half of guests are not engaging with value offerings or the loyalty program, and many perceive core menu items at the drive-thru as too expensive.
“Today too often if you’re that consumer, you’re driving up to the restaurant and you’re seeing combo meals could be priced over $10, and that absolutely is shaping value perceptions and is shaping value perceptions in a negative way,” Kempczinski said during the chain’s Q2 earnings call on August 6. “So we’ve got to get that fixed … We’re having, I think, very active and productive conversations with the franchisees, but the single biggest driver of what shapes consumers’ overall perception of McDonald’s value is the menu board, and it’s when they drive up to the restaurant and they see the menu board. That’s what’s shaping that. That’s the number one driver. So we’ve got more work to do on that in the U.S.”
McDonald’s focus on value is particularly aimed at lower-income customers, whose visits have declined sharply year-over-year. Given that these guests typically frequent the chain more often than middle- and high-income consumers, maintaining accessible price points is central to sustaining traffic and reinforcing McDonald’s reputation for affordability.
Read the original QSR Magazine article here.
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