McDonald’s is testing two new value menu formats at about 1,900 restaurants, and the chain says the results will shape a national value program in early 2027. The test began in the last week of October and is set to run for eight weeks.
The move comes as the burger giant tries to win back diners who have been cutting back on fast food. Here is what is being tried, why the company is doing it and what it means for the next trip through the drive-thru.
Two bundle formats, eight weeks
According to Restaurant Dive, the company announced the test on its third-quarter earnings call on Nov. 4, 2026. It covers all dayparts, and it is aimed at entry-level pricing.
The first format is a mix-and-match bundle. Customers pick their own combination of items, an approach built on results from earlier buy-one-add-one offers. The second format is a fixed bundle, a set combination of items at one price that makes ordering simpler. KTVU reports that the restaurants are in a handful of regions rather than spread evenly across the country.
Neither report discloses bundle prices. That detail will likely come only when the winning format is chosen for a national rollout. Menu prices are a sore spot for many diners, as one list of dining-out blunders shows, and a clear bundle price is one way to take the guesswork out of ordering.
Franchisees are moving faster
McDonald’s is a franchise business. About 95% of its 45,356 restaurants at the end of 2025 were run by franchisees, according to Wikipedia’s McDonald’s entry, which helps explain why the test is not the whole story. The franchise model has deep roots, and many fast-food chains got their start in the 1950s.
Franchisees running about 4,000 more restaurants did not wait for the formal results. They added similar entry-level bundles on their own. CEO Chris Kempczinski said the test restaurants and the franchisee group together represent more than 40% of the American system, per KTVU. In practice, that means a large share of customers will see some version of a bundle before any national launch.
Shoppers who track prices week to week may find it useful to read about things that are actually getting cheaper, since restaurant menus rarely follow that pattern. Independent restaurants feel the same squeeze, and a James Beard Foundation report warns that raising menu prices by more than 10% may backfire.
Why the chain is pushing value now
A bundle is a bet on traffic. A single sandwich at a low price may not move the needle, but a combination that feels like a deal can bring a customer in more often. Budget-minded readers will also recognize the logic from everyday wallet-friendly habits, where a set price keeps spending predictable.
Restaurant Dive reports that McDonald’s American comparable sales fell 0.2% in the third quarter, though sales turned positive in September. Since Extra Value Meals were relaunched more than a year ago, unit sales for the combos that make up its top meals are up about 7% from a year earlier.
The picture is less rosy for the chain’s $3 and Under menu, which launched in April. According to Restaurant Dive, it did not resonate because of low awareness and uneven execution by franchisees. McDonald’s has since restored digital offers, including a $2 breakfast sandwich and free fries with a $1 minimum purchase, and shifted marketing support toward rest-of-day deals, entry-level meals and Extra Value Meals.
Kempczinski said the company is encouraged by the early response and wants to build on that improvement. Another executive, Borden, said the chain has consistently seen incremental traffic with a higher average check and margin from such offers.
A long history of value menus
Bundles are only the latest chapter. According to Wikipedia’s article on value menus, McDonald’s began experimenting with value pricing in 1991 and launched its first national value menu, the Dollar Menu, in late 2002. A new menu of items at $1, $2 and $3 followed on Jan. 4, 2018, and a $5 value meal arrived on June 25, 2024. It included a McDouble or McChicken, four Chicken McNuggets, a small fries and a small drink.
The company has also cut back at times. Wikipedia’s McDonald’s entry notes that in 2021 the chain reduced value meals and cheaper items to focus on higher-priced ones.
What higher menu prices have meant
The push for value also reflects how much restaurant meals have risen. The USDA’s Economic Research Service forecasts that food-away-from-home prices will increase 3.5% in 2026 and 2.8% in 2027, with a wide forecast range of 0.7% to 5.0% for next year. The September 2026 reading was 3.5% above September 2025, matching the average annual increase of 3.5% from 2006 to 2025.
The chain is also keeping the menu fresh in other ways. Nation’s Restaurant News reports that holiday drinks launched on Nov. 3, including a Frosted Cranberry Splash with Sprite and a Cookie Butter Frappe, Latte and Iced Coffee. The drinks are separate from the value test, which the article does not mention.
What comes next
The eight-week test should wrap up around late December, based on the late-October start. McDonald’s has not said which format, if either, will win. The stated goal is a national program in early 2027, with timing and prices to be announced.
For households that eat out regularly, the practical takeaway is simple. Bundle deals may appear at some restaurants and not others for the next few weeks, and prices can differ by franchisee. Families watching the budget may want to check the app and the menu board before ordering, since a bundle can change what a meal costs per person.
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
Image: Jeremy Thompson – CC BY 2.0/Wikimedia Commons
