Discount wars brewing as fast-food giants battle it out.

Fast Food "Value" Meals: A Dubious Deal?

The "Value Meal Wars" are heating up, with McDonald's, Wendy's, and Taco Bell offering discounted combos to lure customers amid rising dining-out costs. Hardee's, Carl's Jr., Chili's, and even sit-down chains like Red Robin and Olive Garden have joined the fray. But are these deals really a bargain?

McDonald's, Wendys, and More See Sales Decline

McDonald's $5 Meal Deal has been a rare bright spot for the chain, which, along with rivals Burger King, Starbucks, and Taco Bell, saw sales drop over 30% from July '23 to July '24, per financial app Brigit.

"Restaurants offering 'meal deals' isn’t enough to drive up sales... For a lot of the big chains, we’ve seen a dip in overall user spending in July after many of these places rolled out meal deals in June.”
- Brigit co-founder Zuben Mathews

AI-Generated Deals?

Buxton CEO Jim Swift suggests AI-tailored value meals may be the way forward:

"As the Value Wars continue, it’s clear that success will depend not just on offering deals, but on understanding who those deals are really for... The key to victory lies in personalization."

The "Deals": A Breakdown

A look at the current crop of value meals:

• McDonald's $5 Meal Deal: McChicken/McDouble, nuggets, fries, drink.
• Burger King $5 Your Way: Whopper Jr./Chicken Jr./Bacon Cheeseburger, nuggets, fries, drink.
• Wendy’s $3 Breakfast: Small potatoes, bacon/sausage muffin.
• Jack in the Box $4 Munchies Menu: $4 items: sandwiches, tacos, fries, etc.
• Taco Bell Luxe Cravings Box: $7 for Chalupa, burrito, taco, chips, drink.
• Starbucks Pairings Menu: Coffee/tea & croissant ($5) or add breakfast sandwich ($6-$7).
• Carl's Jr. $4 Menu: Single burgers, Spicy Chicken Sandwich, Chicken Stars, fries, cake.
• Taco John's BOGO: Buy burrito/taco/churro, get 2nd for $1; $5 meal deal.
• Hardee's $5.99 Original Bag: 2 entrées (sandwich/wraps/chili dog), fries, drink.
• Jimmy John's $10 Total Package****: 8" sandwich, chips, dessert, drink.
• KFC $5 Taste of KFC: Famous Bowl, 8 nuggets, or 2-pc chicken.
• White Castle $7.99 Cheese Sliders: 10 sliders (30% off), mix & match cheese.

The "Value Meal Wars" are on, but consumers aren't biting as hoped. AI-tailored deals may be the next front in this fast-food battle.

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[Gabe Hauari contributed to this story.]

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