Burger King vs McDonald's: Fast-Food Rivals Battle with $5 Meal Deals, Wendy's Reacts

Burger King and McDonald's are battling it with $5 meal deals, while Wendy's criticizes their attempts to replicate its Biggie Bag value offer.

Burger King and McDonald's Compete with $5 Meal Deals to Attract Value-Seeking Consumers

In competition with one another, these fast-food behemoths are offering value packages to attract consumers. Bloomberg reports (via Hindustan Times) that McDonald's announced last week its intention to introduce a $5 meal to regain consumers who had previously abandoned the company in protest of its exorbitant prices.

Similarly, Burger King has introduced its own $5 meal offer, prioritizing affordability. It appears Burger King is advancing first, intending to introduce its value proposition before McDonald's.

While the $5 entrée from McDonald's is scheduled for late June, Burger King is "accelerating its value offers "following three consecutive quarters of industry-leading value traffic. The $5 Your Way Meal, agreed upon with franchisees in April, will return, the company confirmed in a statement to USA TODAY.

The company verified in an email to the outlet that customers will have the option of three sandwiches, chicken nuggets, fries, and a beverage as part of the upcoming promotion. Additionally, it is anticipated that the Burger King offer will remain valid for "several months," whereas the McDonald's offer will solely be accessible for four weeks.

“Regardless of their plans, we are moving full speed ahead with our plans to launch our own $5 value meal before they do − and run it for several months,” Tom Curtis, Burger King's US and Canada President said in a memo as reported by Bloomberg.

McDonald's Plans $5 Meal to Enhance Affordability, Wendy's Criticizes Competitors' Value Offers

McDonald's has not yet officially disclosed the details of its forthcoming promotion, which the company intends to implement to enhance "affordability," USA Today reports that the meal will consist of fries, a beverage, and a selection of four chicken McNuggets (including McChicken, McDouble, or four-piece version).

During the most recent earnings call, McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski stated, "As 2024 approaches, I believe there will be a greater emphasis on what I would call affordability." He stated, "We must maintain affordability as a primary concern for our clientele."

Wendy's responded to a Reuters article titled "Burger King to launch $5 value meal ahead of McDonald's" on X, formerly Twitter, with the message: "Stop making the Biggie Bag concept worse." The organization reaffirmed its stance to the media outlet: "We are aware that competitors are striving to replicate the $5 Biggie Bag, which is an attempt to match the original Biggie value of Wendy's." Since 2019, Wendy's has provided fans with a $5 meal deal consisting of three sandwiches, nuggets, fries, and a beverage.

Wendy's has previously criticized its competitors forthrightly. In another X post, the company mocked McDonald's plans to create the world's largest burger, featuring a photo with the caption, "Things that get worse as they get bigger."