7 of the best fast food value meals right now

In This Story

Fast-food chains are pulling out all the stops to woo price-pressured consumers. And that means the tried and true enticement: lower costs. From fries to chicken wings, consumers are looking for a deal and fast food chains are ready to provide them.

Roger Beahm, executive director of the Center for Retail Innovation at Wake Forest University’s School of Business, walked us through some of the best deals and why fast food restaurants (and their customers) love them.

“Value meals work in three ways to benefit the restaurants that offer them,” he said. “First and foremost, they help maintain customer traffic at a time when economic pressures would normally depress sales.”

McDonald’s

The second reason value menus work, according to Beahm, is that “value meals allow a restaurant chain to keep its name top-of-mind among consumers who are considering where to go for their fast food. Promoting a value meal option in its advertising and marketing communications helps the chain build greater share-of-mind among potential customers.”

The golden arches are enticing customers with $5 meals through the summer. The McValue menu consists of a choice of a McDouble or McChicken sandwich, four-piece Chicken McNuggets, small fries, and small soft drink. And some BOGO options are also enticing customers, including (prices vary by market):

• Double cheeseburger ($3.29)
• McChicken ($3.29)
• 6-piece chicken McNuggets ($3.89)
• French fries ($2.39)

Burger King

The third reason, chains like to promote value meals, according to Beahm, is that they help — during times of inflation — position the chain as offering a value versus its competition. “If you’re a restaurant already known for good quality food, being perceived as a value on top of that quality translates into a powerful competitive advantage,” Beahm said.

And Burger King (QSR+0.55%) is trying its hand at a value meal through the spring by offering its $5 Duos and $7 Trios. The deal allows guests to pick two items for $5 or three items for $7, including any of the following: Whopper Junior, Original Chicken Sandwich, bacon cheeseburger, medium fries, 8-piece chicken fries, or a medium soft drink.

Taco Bell

Taco Bell (YUM-0.35%) has always been about value. Anyone over age 40 remembers the young adult years of scarfing down late-night 50-cent tacos.

Taco Bell’s new Cravings Value Menu includes more satiating, meal-sized options with a total of 10 different menu items to choose from, each priced at $3 or less. The new Cravings Value Menu features four vegetarian options including the Cheesy Roll Up, Spicy Potato Soft Taco, Cheesy Bean & Rice Burrito, and Cheesy Fiesta Potatoes. Complementing the existing vegetarian items, are six new entries to the Cravings Value Menu including the Double Stacked Taco, Stacker, Cheesy Double Beef Burrito, 3-Cheese Chicken Flatbread Melt, Chicken Enchilada Burrito, and the Loaded Beef Nachos.

But Taco Bell secretly hopes you’ll also add some cinnamon twists or a Mexican Pizza to your order.

“Fast food restaurants are much like grocery retailers who use certain products at different times of year as loss leaders (e.g., turkeys at Thanksgiving). The discount gets shoppers into the store, knowing most shoppers will take the opportunity and buy other products while they are there, often on impulse,” Beahm said.

Popeyes

Popeyes fried chicken is now available at an unbeatable price, offering guests a great deal with three pieces for just $5.

“Even though profit margins on value meals can be razor-thin, the chain will realize higher margins on the other items they sell customers when stopping at the restaurant,” Beahm said. “So Popeye’s is hoping you also order some red beans and rice. This ‘value meal’ strategy may seem unique right now in the fast food business because of inflationary pressures, but the strategy behind it is as old as merchandising itself.”

Dairy Queen

This deal shines because, unlike most others, it includes a dessert. No, it’s not a Blizzard, but hey, it’s still ice cream. The deal includes a choice between an Original Cheeseburger or three-piece chicken strips, crispy full-size regular fries, a 21-oz. drink, and a sundae made with DQ’s world-famous soft serve (hot fudge, strawberry, or chocolate).

Beahm said value menus can be good barometers of the overall economy — to a point.

“It’s a good barometer of the overall economy because as inflation drives prices up, consumers become even more price sensitive. That means they pay even more attention to the price of the products they are buying. Value meals seem to be even more attractive during times of inflation because they still offer a low absolute price, and are less expensive relative to other menu items on which prices are escalating.”

Wendy’s

In 2025, Wendy’s will focus on the two-for-$7 meal deal, which offers 16 different menu items to mix and match.

The $5 Biggie Bag, which has been on the menu since 2019, is still a mainstay. It offers a Crispy Chicken Sandwich or Junior Bacon Cheeseburger and includes small fries, four-piece nuggets, and a small drink.

White Castle

This deal is about comfort. Forget the burgers and fries, this is fast-food heaven: sloppy joes. The soft drink, fries, and sandwich is a classic tactic according to fast-food and restaurant expert Eric Chiang, a professor of economics at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

“When the menu board shows mostly value meals, it forces consumers to think differently, that they are getting a deal by always choosing the meal. In economics, we call this a bundling strategy,” Chiang said.