The fast-food giant’s budget-focused McValue menu will have 10 items that each cost under $3 starting April 21. The breakfast items include hash browns or a Sausage McMuffin. A small order of fries or a McDouble burger are among the options the rest of the day.

Some of the items already cost less than $3 in some parts of the U.S., but others don’t. The standardized selection will replace McDonald’s current McValue menu, which lets customers choose from a limited array of $1 items if they purchase a regular-priced item.

The shift to simpler value menu messaging and more flexibility follows similar by moves by rivals of McDonald’s. In January, Taco Bell launched a Luxe Value Menu, which also features 10 items that cost $3 or less. Panera Bread introduced its first value menu in February, with 10 items priced at $4.99 each.

Wendy’s revamped its Biggie Deals value menu in January. It now features $4 Biggie Bites, a $6 Biggie Bag and an $8 Biggie Bundle. KFC recently added $5 bowls to its U.S. menu.

Value menus are designed to offer customers more affordable options, even as fast-food companies also bring out higher-priced items like McDonald’s Big Arch burger or Burger King’s limited-time Peppercorn BLT Whopper.

Chains have emphasized value for several years to win back customers who were frustrated by food price inflation. Historically, prices for food away from home rise 3.5% per year, but in 2023 they rose 7%, in 2024 they rose 4% and in 2025 they rose 3.8%, according to government figures.

“In all retail, including quick-serve restaurants, ‘value’ has become a promotional expectation,” said Roger Beahm, an emeritus professor of marketing at Wake Forest University’s School of Business.

In June 2024, McDonald’s introduced a $5 Meal Deal; it will add a $4 Breakfast Meal Deal on April 21. It debuted the McValue menu in January 2025, and last fall it brought out Extra Value Meals, which promise a 15% discount for a bundled meal compared to buying items individually.

“Value matters more than ever to our customers, and we take that responsibility seriously,” Alyssa Buetikofer, the chief marketing and customer experience officer for McDonald’s USA, told The Associated Press.

Buetikofer said McDonald’s has improved customers’ perceptions of value and affordability since 2024. But the company decided to revamp its McValue menu after customers said they wanted more flexibility and better value in the morning. Half of the items on the under-$3 menu are breakfast items.

Scott Rodrick, a McDonald’s franchisee in California, praised the new strategy. He thinks ordering will go more smoothly because customers will have fewer questions about the deals.

“The value proposition is super clear — no deep explanation or mental gymnastics needed to understand where value is on my menu board,” Rodrick said.

Rodrick said the changes received broad support from franchisees and most U.S. stores will be offering them. Around 95% of McDonald’s U.S. stores are owned and operated by franchisees, who set their own pricing.

Fast food’s juggling act – investing in value through promotions and discounts while raising prices on some premium items – appears to be paying off, according to Revenue Management Solutions, a restaurant consulting company. In February, customer traffic at U.S. fast-food restaurants rose less than 1% compared to the same month year. Traffic was down 2% during the last three months of 2025 and in January.

But the company warned that higher gas prices due to the Iran war likely impacted fast-food traffic in March. That could put pressure on fast-food chains to offer even more value.

The term “value” is at risk of overuse, Beahm said. Over time, the surprise-and-delight of a deal loses its appeal, and customers forget what they used to pay for certain products, he said.

“If everything is always positioned as a value, then can anything really be a value?” Beahm said.

He thinks new products are a good strategy for attracting customers. Improving service or offering unexpected perks – like a donation to a charity with every purchase – are other ways.

Jennifer Fritch, an assistant professor of marketing at Arcadia University, agreed. The fast-food market is crowded, she said, and focusing solely on price turns food into a commodity. Younger customers, in particular, are looking for emotional experiences, personalization and transparency about ingredients, and are willing to pay more when they find them, she said.

“If it’s just cheap food, that’s not a winning long-term strategy,” Fritch said. “The list of demands and list of expectations is higher than it has ever been, and it’s insufficient to try to gain sales just on cost.”