Companies and Brands

McDonald’s Hopes McValue Will End Battered Sales

Douglas A. McIntyre

Published: November 23, 2024 8:02 am

McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE: MCD)  continues to battle lackluster sales, and its solutions have gotten no traction. It has announced one more push. The fast food chain calls the new initiative McValue, and it will become a key part of the menu next year.

McValue, which will launch on January 7, is a series of menu additions. At the top of this list is the $5 Meal Deal it began to offer earlier this year. Management was worried that customers believed McDoald’s had gotten too expensive. The $5 Meal Deal includes a McDouble hamburger, Chicken McNuggets (4 pieces), Small fries, and a small Coca-Cola. The McDouble can be replaced with a McChicken sandwich.

McValue adds several new options. The broadest is “Buy One, Add One for $1”. The items that qualify from the breakfast menu include the Sausage McMuffin Sausage Biscuit, Sausage Burrito, and Hash Browns. Those included in the lunch and dinner menu are the 6-pc. Chicken McNuggets, Double Cheeseburger, McChicken, and Small Fries. McDonald’s will also offer special deals for people who use its app.

When McDonald’s launched the new menu options, Joe Erlinger, President of McDonald’s USA, said, “When it comes to value, we know there’s no one-size-fits-all. We’ve worked closely with our franchisees to create a new platform that will let our customers define value on their own terms.” He should have added that the strategy must help boost the company’s revenue.

McDonald’s most recent quarterly results disappointed investors. Revenue rose only 3% to $6.9 billion, EPS dropped 1% to $3.13, and US same-store sales rose only .3%.

McDonald’s difficulties have pushed its stock down 2% this year while the S&P 500 is 25% higher. McValue is the latest attempt to get the share price back up. By the end of the first quarter of 2025, investors will know whether it worked–or not.