McDonald’s new McValue platform has officially arrived in restaurants nationwide as customers search for favorable deals after heavy holiday shopping.
The platform houses all of the burger chain’s value offers in one place, including meal deals—like the current $5 Meal Deal—in-app offers, local food and drink specials, and a new Buy One, Add One for $1 offer at breakfast and lunch/dinner. Some notable in-app offers include medium fries with a $1 purchase every Friday in 2025 and a free McCrispy chicken sandwich for new app users.
McDonald’s is launching the McValue platform in partnership with professional wrestler and actor John Cena, who will be highlighted on the chain’s social channels. The brand said, “Cena is always delivering more than what fans expect, making him the perfect McValue ambassador.”
“I always talk about ‘earning my sunset’ and there’s nothing like heading to McDonald’s after completely crushing your day,” Cena said in a statement. “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.”
This is the first time in nearly six years McDonald’s has had a unified value platform message across the U.S.
The burger giant is also partnering with 16 companies to roll out more than $3 million in promotion offers. Some examples: one free month of YouTube TV, 20 minutes of free wi-fi on American Airlines, and a Tinder Gold Premium Access subscription. Customers can unlock these deals by interacting with McValue ads.
McDonald’s push for value began last spring when its $5 Meal Deal was first announced. Since then, the offer has been repeatedly extended as the macroeconomic environment remained difficult for lower-income customers. During the company’s Q3 earnings call in October, CFO Ian Borden indicated that a “more holistic U.S. value platform” was coming in 2025. The U.S. business segment took advice from international value menus like McSmart in Germany and France and the Savers Menu in the U.K.
McDonald’s is one of several quick-service chains welcoming 2025 with a new value offer. On Monday alone, Subway released a new $6.99 six-inch and $9.99 footlong meal deal, Wayback Burgers announced an $8.99 Cheeseburger meal deal, Krystal unveiled a $4.99 meal deal, and casual chain Applebee’s extended its $9.99 Really Big Meal Deal featuring bottomless fries for dine-in customers. On Tuesday, Taco Bell introduced $5, $7, and $9 Luxe Cravings Boxes, with the $5 version comprising a Beefy 5-Layer Burrito, Crunch Taco, Cinnamon Twists, and a medium drink. On New Year’s Eve, Dunkin’ introduced its own $5 Meal Deal in addition to its major celebrity partnership with pop singer Sabrina Carpenter.
