Why McDonald's New McValue Menu Is Not The Deal Customers Were Hoping For

In a time where food prices are at an all-time high, a new fast food value menu sounds like cause to celebrate. In the past, McDonalds has lead the way, releasing fresh McValue meal offerings regularly for those hungry but short on cash. However, McDonald's announced a new McValue meal menu, and customers are mad. Rather than being a relief to those on a budget, the new "deals" may actually cost people more than the regular menu.

At face value, some of the offers seem like good ways to save money. In the three-dollar category of the menu, there are eight items, including small fries and hash browns, and each one is receiving a price cut. However, a major money-saving option has disappeared. Regular customers may fondly remember that the menu previously allowed you to get two items, with the second only costing a dollar. This BOGO for a dollar option was a major draw, but it's vanished from the value menu. In fact, customers have realized that you're now paying more for two items than before, by over 10% in certain cases.

The reviews of these changes have been less than stellar, with customers calling out corporate greed. One commenter on an Instagram post said "The new 'McValue' is really McGarbage! I'll be taking my business elsewhere." Another on Reddit said of the menu, "Once again, McDonald's is deceiving the public who are too lazy to do simple math. This is not a double down on value — it's just another melt up of prices on the low end." With all this in mind, it seems unlikely that McDonald's will rank as best fast food value menu anytime soon.

Burger and fry lovers might notice that this price change-up isn't an isolated incident. The fact is that McDonald's prices have skyrocketed since 2019 and the numbers are brutal for customers. Across the fast food market, the cost of food has gone up so sharply that the average fast-food meal for one now costs $10. While McDonald's denies that its price increases are way above the rate of inflation, not everyone is convinced.

In particular, folks on Reddit are getting downright heated over it. Some call for boycotts, while other acknowledge that this is probably an inevitable change. One Redditor said, "I have so many better options, including mom and pop places that blow McDonald's out of the water in quality. The whole appeal before was it was cheap, and they ruined that." Another wistfully said, "I honestly need to just stop going to McDonald's, it's so expensive for the same thing or less than what you used to get. I remember going to McD's with $10 and feeding 3 friends."

There are still a few ways to save money at McDonald's, though. The easiest is through app-exclusive deals for customers, including a free menu item with purchase for signing up. After that, regulars can earn rewards points towards future discounts. But gone are the days of the fabled $1 value meal, and given that inflation is ever-increasing, it seems unlikely we'll ever see it again. It may not even be long before McDonald's follows the example of Chipotle and refuses to offer a value menu at all.