Dollar menu gets a revamp

Value is the name of the game in fast food and McDonald’s is set to return to its roots with a reboot of its dollar menu.

McDonald’s USA President Chris Kempczinski confirmed the imminent return during an Oct. 24 analyst call.

But here’s one thing you should know: This dollar menu 2.0 that’s coming in 2018 will be a little bit differ

ent from the one you remember.

For starters, there will be a wider range of price segmentation, focusing on $1, $2 and $3 price points.

Kempczinski also said there will be periodic additional deals set to “pulse in and out throughout the year.”

McDonald’s has long had a love/hate relationship with the $1 price point.

The dollar menu first launched in 2002 and customers loved it — of course!

But that low price can sometimes put a real financial strain on franchisees. As one analyst noted in 2013, a menu item sold for $1 during a time of food inflation could represent a 50 percent to 100 percent loss.

That harsh fiscal reality prompted the company to give the dollar menu the boot around 2014 and replace it with the “McPick 2 for $5” deal.

In early 2017, the Golden Arches dipped its toe back into the dollar pool with the introduction of its $1 any size soft drink promotion. This helped increased foot traffic.

According to the latest numbers, U.S. comp sales increased 4.1 percent during the last quarter — a positive comp sales gap versus competitors like Burger King and Wendy’s, according to top company brass.

So if you’ve gone too long without sampling that dollar menu, take heart.

You’ve got a big year ahead of you in 2018!