McDonald's New McValue Menu Faces Backlash From Disappointed Fans: An 'Illusion of Value'
McDonald's has officially launched their new McValue menu as of January 7, 2025, offering new bargains for budget-conscious customers who want to enjoy fast food without breaking the bank. "The new McValue platform offers more variety, choice and flexibility – for every occasion," the company says in a press release. "Fans can mix and match with the new Buy One, Add One for $1 offer and fuel up for less with the popular $5 Meal Deal. Plus, we're dropping even more offers in the App courtesy of McValue – including free medium fries with a $1 purchase every Friday in 2025 and a free McCrispy TM chicken sandwich for new App users."
The $5 meal deal consists of a 4-piece order of Chicken McNuggets, fries, a drink, and either a McChicken or a McDouble. The new deal is clearly McDonald's latest attempt to win back people who may have balked at the steep rise in prices for fast food—but not all customers are satisfied with the deal.
"I hate these fast food deals with the four piece nuggets. Nuggets are not a side anywhere else on their menu and I am not a four year old so it's not enough to make the meal feel like I'm getting an extra main dish. The fact you don't get options with it makes that painfully obvious. It makes me very aware of the illusion of 'value' they're pitching," one Redditor commented.
Other customers voiced their opinions on the McDonald's Instagram app, disappointed that there was no mention of the long-awaited Snack Wraps as part of the new McValue menu. "Where are the snack wraps I'm tired of this trickery," one person commented. "They did say they were coming in 2025. Sadly this was not the announcement," another responded.
Some fans are less than impressed with the new Buy One, Add One for $1 deal. "It's like a buy-one-get-one-free deal but the second item costs $1… McDealWithIt," another salty Redditor said.
"How is this a deal? My local stores have already have two for $3.99 for the past 2 years. The price for one McChicken is already $3.89," one commenter pointed out. "I remember when they were 1.00 🤯," another responded.
The $5 meal deal has been officially extended through the summer of 2025, but there's no telling what will happen after that. "They should just make the meal deals part of the regular menu, that's my opinion," one McDonald's fan says on Reddit. "I can't imagine the chaos that's gonna ensue if they actually get rid of them."
McDonald's has teamed up with John Cena to promote the new McValue menu—it remains to be seen how successful it is. "I always talk about 'earning my sunset' and there's nothing like heading to McDonald's after completely crushing your day," Cena says. "I'll admit – it's tough to choose between some of my favorites sometimes, but now I don't have to. The fact that fans can mix and match with the new McValue menu to get great deals on the food they love is going to be an absolute game-changer." And if you enjoyed this article, don't miss these 5 Major Changes You'll See at McDonald's In 2025.
