McDonald’s unveils its new $1-$2-$3 Dollar Menu lineup
In an effort to up its value game, the McDonald’s Dollar Menu is back — but with some options that will cost you more than a buck.
The burger giant announced Monday that it’s rolling out its new lineup of low-cost foods nationwide on Jan. 4. Called the $1-$2-$3 Dollar Menu, it includes a wider variety of items covering the three different price points. Among them:
❚ $1: Sausage Burrito, McChicken, Cheeseburger, any size soft drink
❚ $2: Sausage McGriddles, 2-piece Buttermilk Crispy Tenders, Bacon McDouble, some small McCafé beverages
❚ $3: Sausage McMuffin with Egg, Classic Chicken Sandwich, Triple Cheeseburger, Happy Meal. This is the first time that a Happy Meal will be included on a national discount menu.
The fast-food industry is generally cutthroat when it comes to price. Plus, there’s competition for customers’ stomachs from other players, whether its fast-casual chains or supermarkets that have created dining areas.
McDonald’s says it made its move to recapture value-oriented diners.
“We have lost a number of our customers over the last few years because we didn’t have a compelling value proposition. We expect this to win back customers who’ve been disappointed,” said McDonald’s U.S. president Chris Kempczinski. “This is a competitive market.”
The Oak Brook, Ill.-based company missed out on 500 million transactions in the past four years as a result, he added. The chain had the Dollar Menu but ended that in 2012 because of limitations of what could be sold for $1. More recent was the customizable McPick 2, but that wasn’t offered nationally.
McDonald’s “philosophy is they don’t need to win on value, but they can’t lose on value either,” said Peter Saleh, managing director at the financial-services firm BTIG.