With the current inflation in the fast food industry, many big name restaurants are competing to win back customers with the best fast food value menus.
It started with rumors of $5 value menus from Burger King and McDonald’s in April 2024, but now major players like Starbucks, Taco Bell, and Sonic have also joined the fray.
But who will take the gold medal for best value fast food? Let’s take a closer look.
In this ranking, we of course take price into consideration – but the cheapest meals don’t necessarily come out on top – and we also consider value for money, not just the range of menu items offered at the advertised discounted price.
Starbucks is one of the latest chains to introduce a value menu, offering a $5 “pairing menu” that allows customers to pair a tall coffee or tea with a buttery croissant for $5, or a tall coffee or tea with a breakfast sandwich for $6.
StarbucksStarbucks’ version of a value meal.
A tall latte usually costs $2.95, and a standard breakfast sandwich like bacon, Gouda, and eggs is $5.95. At about $9 a pop, this menu is certainly a good deal and offers plenty of options.
However, the downside to this menu offer is that it’s only available during the summer and there aren’t many food options, so don’t get too used to this discount. If you want to save money on your caffeine intake in the long run, find out how to become a Starbucks Gold member.
evaluation: 6/10
8. Taco Bell’s Luxury Cravings Box
Taco Bell scores highly for the portions on its Value Box, which comes with several large-sized menu items, including the Chalupa Supreme, Beef Five-Layer Burrito, Double Stack Taco, chips, and nacho cheese sauce, as well as a medium-sized fountain drink.
Taco BellNew Luxe Box Featuring Fan Favorites
Taco Bell gave fans a better deal than they expected: The portions are generous, each box contains multiple items, and there’s no end date given for the sale.
The only downside is that the box costs $7, meaning it’s the most expensive of all the value menu items.
evaluation: 7/10
The Jack’s Munchies Under $4 menu features 13 items, more than most menus, including sandwiches, tacos, side dishes and even sweets.
Jack in the BoxJack’s snack menu under $4
Jack in the Box really is a jack-of-all-trades, offering burgers, tacos and chicken, all of which you can sample on their new snack menu.
What’s more, the menu has been declared a permanent fixture, making it a reliable option even amid rising prices.
evaluation: 7/10
6. Pizza Hut “My Hat Box”
Pizza Hut is targeting lunchtime cravings with My Hat Box. Pizza Hut is the only pizza chain to introduce a value-packed meal deal this summer.
Pizza HutPizza Hut has introduced “My Hatbox,” a way for customers to buy food at a discount.
Meals include:
- It comes with a personal pan pizza with two toppings and is served with four boneless wings or fries.
- The Pizza Hut Melt comes with a side of fries or four boneless wings and marinara sauce for dipping.
- It comes with a half melt and four boneless wings or choice of fries, plus marinara sauce for dipping.
You can also add a 20-ounce beverage of your choice for an additional $1.50.
The meal starts at $6.99, which is also on the higher end of the value menu, but it comes with pizza and a side.
evaluation: 8/10
5. Wendy’s $3 Breakfast Set
Want to save money before you hit the office in the morning? It’s guaranteed to put you in a good mood. This promotion has been running since May 20th and is likely to become a long-term menu feature.
Wendy’sWendy’s is also offering its own breakfast option.
It comes with one small seasoned potato and your choice of a bacon, egg, and cheese English muffin or a sausage, egg, and cheese English muffin. It doesn’t include coffee like Starbucks does, but it’s half the price. This is definitely the best fast-food deal you can get before 9am.
evaluation: 8/10
4. Burger King’s $5 “Your Way” Meal
This set menu was discontinued in 2023 but will be back in June 2024. You can enjoy a main dish, two side dishes and a soft drink all for $5. The burger options are:
- Whopper Jr. – The Whopper Jr. is a classic, smaller version of the famous burger, featuring a flame-grilled beef patty, tomato, lettuce, mayonnaise, ketchup, pickles and sliced white onions, all sandwiched between a toasted sesame seed bun.
- Bacon Cheeseburger – This burger features the chain’s classic flame-grilled beef patty, layered with crispy bacon, American cheese, pickles, yellow mustard and ketchup, and sandwiched between a toasted sesame seed bun.
- Chicken Jr. – The Chicken Jr. features a crispy chicken patty, shredded lettuce and creamy mayonnaise on a toasted sesame seed bun.
Burger KingBurger King’s answer to a value meal.
For sides, you can order fries and a six-piece pack of nuggets to accompany your entree.
Burger King’s menu was McDonald’s most popular competitor due to its similar menu choices to McDonald’s, but Burger King missed out on the top spot simply because its prices were not as high.
evaluation: 8/10
3. Popeye’s Big Box
Popeye’s Big Box is on the pricey side, but you get a ton of delicious food for just $6.99.
PopeyesPopeye’s Big Box.
The meal consists of two pieces of fried chicken (spicy or mild) or three chicken tenders, two regular sides, and a biscuit, making it a much larger portion than other burger-and-fries chains.
The menu has been available on and off for the past few years, but the arrival of this great value dish is a welcome one after Californians claimed they were paying $42 for 16 chicken tenders.
evaluation: 9/10
Sonic recently launched its Value Menu, which takes the crown for lowest price. This new permanent menu includes several items that are all priced at $1.99. These are the menu items:
- All-New Sonic Queso Wraps
- Quarter Pound Double Cheeseburger
- Chili Cheese Coney
- Small children
- 16oz SONIC Shake (12 flavors)
Jack in the BoxEverything on the Fun.99 menu is just $1.99.
Sonic may have joined the fray late, but it’s been a big success with its menu options, especially its 16-ounce milkshakes in every flavor.
evaluation: 9/10
1. McDonald’s $5 Value Meal
Price hikes at McDonald’s have touched off a debate about fast food prices — in fact, the fact that a Big Mac went for $18 in some locations sparked an uproar, leading McDonald’s CEO to promise lower-priced meals in response.
McDonald’s Value Meals are very similar to Burger King’s: Customers can choose a McDouble or McChicken, small fries, four Chicken McNuggets and a small drink for $5.
McDonald’sMcDonald’s takes the top spot.
McDonald’s Value Menu only offers two entrees and a small amount of fries, but it took home the crown of Best Fast Food Value Menu by answering customers’ cries for a value menu, even though in reality the company could have ignored it and still run a strong business.
As the most iconic fast food chain, customers would have returned anyway, but McDonald’s showed it was listening to its fans.
If you’re curious to see how your favorite fast food chain ranks, we’ve also compiled a definitive ranking of the best fast food chains in the United States.
