McDonald’s has an $8 Quarter Pounder with Cheese meal, which Dexerto says normally costs more than $11 depending on location. The price applies at participating U.S. restaurants, and no end date has been announced.
McDonald’s launched the $8 Quarter Pounder with Cheese meal on Nov. 2, 2026, at participating U.S. restaurants, according to Dexerto. The company has not announced an end date, only that the offer is temporary.
What the $8 Meal Includes
The package is a Quarter Pounder with Cheese, a medium order of fries and a medium drink for $8. Dexerto reported the regular price at more than $11 depending on location, which puts the gap at more than $3 where prices run highest.
The burger itself is a quarter-pound beef patty cooked to order, topped with slivered onions, pickles and two slices of American cheese on a sesame seed bun, Dexerto’s report said. American cheese is a processed cheese made from cheddar, Colby or similar cheeses with sodium citrate, which lets it melt smoothly, and it was invented in the 1910s by James L. Kraft, Wikipedia notes.
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How the Deal Works and What Is Left Out
The promotion arrives as McDonald’s keeps widening its value lineup, with deals across the breakfast, lunch and dinner menus, Dexerto reported. McDonald’s confirmed the offer is available at participating restaurants nationwide, and Dexerto noted that prices and participation vary by location. That means the price at one drive-thru can differ from the price across town.
The biggest exclusion is delivery. The $8 price is not available on delivery orders, so the meal has to be ordered through an eligible method, such as the counter or drive-thru, to get the promotional price.
There is no stated stop date, even though the promotion is described as temporary. Because the end date is open, the safest plan is to confirm the price at the restaurant before planning a family dinner around it.
A $2 Breakfast Coupon Is Running Alongside It
The Quarter Pounder deal is not the only discount in the app. Hip2Save listed a McDonald’s coupon for a $2 breakfast sandwich on Nov. 6, with a limit of one use per person per week and no stacking with other offers, according to Hip2Save. The eligible sandwiches were the Bacon, Egg and Cheese biscuit, the Bacon, Egg and Cheese McGriddles, the Egg McMuffin, the Sausage Egg McMuffin and the Sausage, Egg and Cheese McGriddles. Pricing may vary by location, and the coupon has to be selected in the app’s Rewards and Deals section.
Both deals follow McDonald’s return of its Extra Value Meals in September 2025. At that time, the company said the returning combinations cost about 15% less than buying the items separately, Dexerto reported, and they included an $8 Big Mac meal and a $5 Sausage McMuffin with Egg meal.
Dexerto also noted that the $8 meal was announced alongside McDonald’s first reservation-only Chef’s Table event, called Inside the Golden Arches, held in Brooklyn, New York, on Oct. 29 and hosted by Top Chef Season 22 winner Tristen Epps-Long.
A Burger With a Fremont Origin Story
The Quarter Pounder dates to 1971, when franchise owner Al Bernardin introduced it at his McDonald’s in Fremont, California, with the slogan “Today Fremont, tomorrow the world,” according to Wikipedia. It went on the national menu in 1973. The patty was originally 4 ounces and grew to 4.25 ounces in 2015.
The chain itself began in 1940 as a restaurant run by brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald in San Bernardino, California, and counted 45,356 restaurants at the end of 2025, Wikipedia’s company entry reports.
McDonald’s has also changed how the burger is made over the years. Since May 2018, the chain has used fresh beef in Quarter Pounders at its continental U.S. locations, and on Oct. 1, 2018, it announced it would remove all artificial preservatives, flavors and coloring from them, Wikipedia reports. The Dexerto article adds that the Extra Value Meals of September 2025 also included other combinations featuring Chicken McNuggets, McCrispy sandwiches and Quarter Pounder burgers.
The Brooklyn event was free, according to Dexerto, and gave attendees a behind-the-scenes look at how menu favorites including the Quarter Pounder with Cheese, Chicken McNuggets and the Egg McMuffin are prepared.
The Catch: Check the App First
The fine print is short but important. The price is for participating restaurants only, delivery is out, and the final number depends on the location. A shopper used to paying $11 or more should confirm the $8 price on the menu board or in the app before ordering.
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In the end, the numbers are simple. Dexerto put the regular price of the meal at more than $11 and the promotional price at $8. No end date had been announced as of Dexerto’s Nov. 2 report, and the McDonald’s app is the place to confirm the price before a trip.
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
Image: Filippos Fragkogiannis – CC BY-SA 4.0/Wikimedia Commons
