McDonald’s has more than 41,000 locations worldwide and serves 70 million customers daily.
McDonald’s is cutting prices to woo back customers, according to a news release, with the return of some Extra Value Meals under $10.
Starting Sept. 8, McDonald’s will offer Extra Value Meals, which combine select entrées like a Big Mac, an Egg McMuffin or a McCrispy sandwich with medium fries or hash browns and a drink. Prices will vary by location, McDonald's said, though overall the meals will cost 15% less than ordering each of those items separately.
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WATCH HERETo kick off the promotion, McDonald’s will offer an $8 Big Mac meal or a $5 Sausage Egg McMuffin meal for a limited time in most restaurants across the country. Customers in California, Alaska, Hawaii and Guam will have to pay $1 more for those meals, the company said.
"From the $5 Meal Deal to McValue and now Extra Value Meals, we're sending a clear message: we're here for our customers," Joe Erlinger, President of McDonald's USA, said in the release. "McDonald's will always be a place where you can get the food you love at a price that fits your life."
A full list of the Extra Value Meal entree options are below:
- Sausage McMuffin with Egg
- Sausage Egg & Cheese McGriddles®
- Egg McMuffin®
- Bacon, Egg and Cheese Biscuit®
- Big Mac
- 10-piece Chicken McNuggets®
- Any variety Quarter Pounder® burger (Original, Bacon, or Deluxe)
- Any variety McCrispy® Sandwich (Original, Deluxe, or Spicy Deluxe)
The Chicago-based burger chain added that customers can expect "more price-pointed Extra Value Meals" in the near future, including a $5 Sausage, Egg and Cheese McGriddle combo and an $8 10-piece Chicken McNugget meal in November.
The release however hinted that some prices will eventually go up, noting that the Snack Wrap's $2.99 price tag would last only "through the end of the year."
McDonald’s for years has seen a steady decline in visits from customers in the U.S. who have household incomes of less than $45,000 per year. CEO Chris Kempczinski said those consumers, and others, no longer see McDonald’s as a good value.
At a McDonald’s near the company’s Chicago headquarters, for example, a 10-piece Chicken McNugget meal costs $10.39.
Higher prices have been been a drag on sales. McDonald’s same-store sales – or sales at stores open at least a year – grew 2.5% in the April-June period, but that was mostly because of higher prices. Fast food visits by lower-income consumers dropped by double-digit percentages industrywide in the second quarter, McDonald’s said.
“Today, too often, if you’re that consumer, you’re driving up to the restaurant and you’re seeing combo meals priced over $10,” Kempczinski said during a conference call with investors in August. “That absolutely is shaping value perceptions in a negative way. So we’ve got to get that fixed.”
McDonald’s job has been made harder by prices that can vary widely around the country. In May 2024, after a post on X about a Big Mac meal in Connecticut that cost $18 went viral, McDonald’s called it an “exception” and noted that franchisees set prices for nearly all U.S. restaurants.
The company also blames higher costs. The average price of its menu items rose 40% between 2019 and 2024, McDonald’s said, to account for a 40% increase in the cost of labor, packaging and food.
But within a month, McDonald’s introduced a $5 Meal Deal, which combined a McDouble burger or a McChicken sandwich with small fries and a small drink. That deal proved so popular it was extended through this summer.
In January, McDonald’s added another promotion, letting customers buy a limited number of items for $1 if they bought one full-priced item. Those deals will remain alongside the Extra Value Menu for now, McDonald’s said.
Other chains are also seeking to grab the attention of potential customers. In late August, Domino’s launched its Best Deal Ever promotion, offering any pizza with any toppings for $9.99.
Overall U.S. fast food customer traffic fell nearly 1% in the second quarter, according to Revenue Management Solutions, a consulting company. The company said price increases were sharply lower than previous quarters, suggesting that chains are already offering more deals.
