Meal Deals Abound

Fast-food restaurants start the year off with discounts and specials galore.

January 12, 2011

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Diet ads and meal deals are more prevalent than snowflakes this month as fast-food restaurants dangle discounts to attract consumers, USA Today reports. Wendy??s, Taco Bell and Burger King are among those offering deals to bring in business during the fast-food industry??s toughest quarter of the year.

With unemployment among those between the ages of 18 and 34 in the double digits, fast-food chains are scrambling to keep sales up. For that group ?" the core demographic of quick-service restaurants ?" "value is even more important now than it was a few years ago," said David Ovens, Taco Bell??s chief marketing officer.

Fast-food deals have a history of increasing sales and traffic, said Christopher Muller, dean at the School of Hospitality at Boston University. "You can??t sell something to someone who isn't in your restaurant." Also contributing to fewer fast-food meals is the fact that many people start new diets in January.

Burger King has a two-for-one chicken sandwich through Jan. 16, while Wendy??s has a "Free Fries For All" social media promotion via a Facebook app through the end of the month. Pizza restaurants also have specials this month, with both Papa John??s and Pizza Hut selling large pies for $10 and Domino??s offering two mediums for $5.99 a piece.

McDonald??s and Wendy??s are highlighting their dollar and 99-cent menus, respectively. Jack in the Box and Taco Bell have beefed up their combo meal deals.

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