Where Did All The Fast Food Dollar Menus Go?

There have always been fast food menu items that upset customers, but nowadays, it's the items that aren't on the menu that's upsetting. Dollar menus at fast food restaurants have turned plenty of people's last few dollars into a glorious, filling meal. When these coveted low prices vanished, it seemed like yet another time fast food restaurants tried to trick customers. It's okay to give up hope and mourn the loss of the one-dollar cheeseburger, because it's likely gone for good. It's also okay to blame inflation — partially.

From 2019 to 2024 costs of running a restaurant have gone up significantly, with a 29% increase in food costs alone according to Push Operations. The dollar isn't as mighty as it once was, and for fast food restaurants, the dollar menus were already difficult to keep available without losing money. When McDonald's began offering items for one dollar in 2002, customers spent an average of $0.03 less per visit. 

Still, removing dollar menus seems like a win for everyone but the actual people buying the food. So, value menus have been introduced to keep chain restaurants worthy of consumers' money. In January 2025, McDonald's launched its McValue menu with a "buy one, add one for $1" model. Burger King's value menu offers two or three items for five dollars or seven dollars. Ultimately, value menus allow fast food chains to be more flexible while attempting to recreate the golden years of dollar menus.

Life was simpler when one could scoot on into the drive-thru line to order enough dollar menu items to create a McDank without feeling the need to put it on a payment plan. Alas, times are different. Thankfully, with technology comes more ways to save. Fast food restaurants have incentivised consumers to download (and use) their apps by giving access to features like faster pick-up times and online exclusive deals. This change could be enough to keep some restaurants in the good graces of customers, though it may not be enough for fast food chains that are already set to close hundreds of locations.

Chains like Taco Bell offer both rewards points for every purchase, as well as in-app exclusives like the Meal for 2 and the Build Your Own Luxe Cravings Box. The McDonald's app relies heavily on the rewards points, but offers deals like fries with the purchase of a soda. The use of applications partially satisfies the need for a good deal in an expensive world for consumers, while allowing large companies to collect data and monitor their habits. Between value menus and app-specific deals, at least there are some savings when buying food, but we'll forever grieve the loss of the dollar menu.