QSRs double down on value in 2025

The trend: QSRs are starting 2025 the same way they ended 2024—with a sharp focus on value.

• McDonald’s launched its McValue platform, which includes a new “Buy One, Add One for $1” option alongside its $5 meal deal. The fast-food chain will also offer more in-app deals and special community offers from local franchisees.
• Taco Bell will expand its value menu to include $5 and $9 options, alongside its $7 Luxe Cravings box. The deal will be available from January 16 to early June.
• Wendy’s announced a new 2 for $7 limited-time offer (LTO) that lets customers mix and match four different menu items, creating 16 possible value meal combos.

That’s just the tip of the iceberg: Subway, KFC, Del Taco, and Dunkin’ are among the many other QSRs turning to meal deals to entice customers into stores.

Why it matters: The flurry of deals suggests the QSR price wars that raged in the latter half of 2024 will continue in 2025, as fast-food chains tried to reverse declining sales from cost-conscious consumers.

But such offers were only moderately successful at driving traffic: While chains like McDonald’s and Taco Bell won over customers, others like Burger King and Wendy’s struggled to stand out in the highly competitive promotional environment.

• Meal deals more effectively increased loyalty rather than visit frequency, according to a Numerator analysis.
• Three in 5 meal deal buyers chose to eat at a restaurant due to the presence of an offer, but visit frequency to Wendy’s and Burger King dropped by 6.7% YoY and 9.8% YoY, respectively, in Q3. That’s despite the fact that customers rated Wendy’s Biggie Bag as the best value offer.

Our take: QSRs can’t rely on their value menus alone to get customers through the door.

To encourage more frequent visits and build loyalty with consumers, restaurants must offer variety within their meal deals—as McDonald’s is doing with the McValue platform—and lean into novelty, whether in the form of LTOs, limited-edition items, or brand collaborations.

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