McDonald's Rolls Out $5 Value Meal As Consumers Cut Back On Fast Food

McDonald's will begin selling its new $5 value meal on Tuesday.

McDonald's announced the value meal after reporting slower growth in foot traffic at its restaurants. With consumers recoiling from surging menu prices at fast-food chains, McDonald's, Burger King, and others are competing to roll out summer deals on cheaper eats.

The meal will include your choice of a McDouble or a McChicken sandwich. Then it also includes a 4-piece chicken nugget, a small fry, and a small soft drink.

The national deal only runs for 30 days, but we spoke with local McDonald's owners who say they're going to keep it going until September.

"My fellow owner/operators and I have voted to extend this until September 10th," said Bob Wagner, Tulsa McDonald's Franchise Owner. "This should help people with back-to-school and expenses at the end of the summer. We can keep this value until September 10th and we'll look at it again then and see if we can continue it on."

The $5 meal will be available at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday morning when McDonald's begins selling lunch.

The promotion is designed to counter higher menu prices at McDonald's in recent years. The average cost of a Big Mac, for example, is now $5.29, up 21% from $4.39 in 2019, according to company data. The average price of a Quarter Pounder with Cheese is $5.39, up 20% from $4.49 in 2019. Fast-food chains blame rising labor and food costs as the key factors in their decision to drive up prices.

A 2024 poll by consulting firm Revenue Management Solutions found that about 25% of people who make under $50,000 were cutting back on fast food, pointing to cost as a concern. A recent LendingTree survey found that 78% of consumers now view fast food as a luxury item that's becoming expensive.

Wendy's and Burger King have also launched value meals in hopes of increasing foot traffic to restaurants.