Starting in April, McDonald’s will be launching a value menu of items costing $3 or less, the Wall Street Journal reported. The QSR will also soon offer new $4 breakfast meal deals.
The new deals, dubbed “McValue 2.0,” seek to allow McDonald’s to focus on the most effective discounts to lure back customers, particularly budget-sensitive ones. “That includes stronger breakfast promotions, as McDonald’s morning meals have experienced the greatest pullback from lower-income consumers,” WSJ wrote.
The $4 meal deal will feature breakfast options including a McMuffin, hash brown and coffee. The $3 and less menu will include items like a sausage biscuit or a 4-piece chicken McNuggets, and it replaces the ‘buy-one-add-one-for-a-dollar’ menu introduced in 2025.
In an earnings call last month, Chief Executive Officer Chris Kempczinski said that McDonald’s value push is paying off.
McDonald's global same-store sales rose 5.7% in the fourth quarter of 2025, beating analysts’ expectations. In the United States, same-store sales increased 6.8%.
“McDonald’s is not going to get beat on value and affordability,” Kempczinski said.
In September, McDonald’s cut prices on U.S. combo meals, which came on top of discounts like the McValue menu that began earlier in 2025. McDonald’s Snack Wraps, which returned to menus in July for $2.99, also helped improve value perceptions.
For 2026, McDonald’s is also working on new menu items, “including beverages inspired by its short-lived CosMc’s restaurant format. McDonald’s said it plans to start selling energy drinks, iced coffees and fruity refreshers under its McCafe brand sometime later this year,” AP reported.
Meanwhile, Taco Bell released its lineup of new menu items coming this year. During its recent Live Más LIVE: A Night at The Palladium event, the QSR said it would introduce over 20 new innovations, “some born from fan petitions, others curated from within the Taco Bell Test Kitchen exploring new forms, new flavors, and reimagined favorites,” Taco Bell said.
Coming to the Taco Bell menu are:
- Nacho Fries are officially joining menus permanently later this year.
- Flamin’ Hot Nacho Fries: Nacho Fries paired with Flamin’ Hot Nacho Cheese sauce.
- Diablo Dusted Crispy Chicken Nuggets: Taco Bell’s signature crispy, all-white-meat chicken nuggets get dusted in fiery Diablo seasoning.
- Doritos Cool Ranch Dusted Crispy Chicken Nuggets with Doritos Cool Ranch dipping sauce: After Diablo Dust, fans can cool off with the next iteration of dusted nuggets coated in Doritos Cool Ranch seasoning and paired with a Doritos Cool Ranch dipping sauce.
- Flamin’ Hot Dusted Crispy Chicken Nuggets: Rounding out Taco Bell’s new series of dusted nuggets is a bold and fiery Flamin’ Hot seasoning.
- Mountain Dew Baja Midnight Pie
- Crème Brulee Crunchwrap Slider: Creamy vanilla filling, a crispy cinnamon sugar tostada, grilled with a caramelized cinnamon sugar crust for a crackable, spoon-worthy finish, and wrapped in a warm tortilla.
- Cheesy G Sliders: Two soft, pillowy flatbreads wrapped around freshly fried daily white-corn shells, layered with mozzarella, pepperjack and cheddar cheeses, lettuce, pico de gallo and creamy chipotle sauce. Available with grilled marinated steak or slow-roasted chicken.
- New desserts, including the Milk Bar Birthday Cake Empanada and Strawberry & Cream Mexican Pizza Bite.
Last year, Taco Bell shifted its focus to chicken and drinks, noting that chicken makes up 40% of Taco Bell’s orders these days. Taco Bell’s chicken sales have grown 50% from 2023 and are on pace to double to $5 billion by 2030, The Wall Street Journal said.
In November, the QSR released a “fan style menu,” with three new menu items created by its customers. Taco Bell received 40,000 submissions from loyalists who were invited to share their most inventive custom orders and chose three fans, dubbed Taco Bell honorary “Fan Chefs,” whose creations made the cut: Brock's California Crunchwrap, Sandra's Cantina Craze and Kajol's Burrito Bliss. It also brought back the fan-inspired Cheesy Dipping Burritos in December.