McDonald’s has made value a major message for the chain as consumers have started to see fast food as indulgence, not a cheap dining option.
“Fast food meals with prices in the single digits may soon be a thing of the past, especially in the largest U.S. metros, where prices are putting them out of reach for many Americans. The average flagship fast food meal costs $11.56 across the largest metros, with San Francisco leading the pack at $13.88,” according to a Lending Tree report.
That’s too much for many Americans.
“Seventy-eight percent of Americans now view fast food as a ‘luxury,’ highlighting the economic strain even low-cost dining now places on everyday consumers, particularly in high-cost urban areas,” the same report shows.
That’s a perception McDonald’s has been pushing back against.
“As we look to 2026, success will again depend on going 3 for 3, compelling value that brings customers in the door, breakthrough marketing that creates meaningful moments for our fans and menu innovation that provides great tasting food for our customers. We believe this disciplined focus enables McDonald’s to outperform in any environment,” McDonald’s CEO Christopher Kempczinski said during the chain’s fourth-quarter earnings call.
While the chain has added lower-priced value meals, $2.99 Snack Wraps, and other specials through its app, it has also pulled back in two areas that take value away from customers.
Many McDonald’s crack down on dipping sauces
While some fast-food chains have a strict limit on how many dipping sauces come with each order of chicken nuggets or chicken strips, McDonald’s has generally had a pretty flexible policy.
At some locations, that has changed.
“Customers say the fast food giant is turning ‘stingy’ — with a growing number of locations clamping down on how many packets diners can get for free. At one franchise, a ‘sauce policy’ posted at the drive-thru window warns that an order of six McNuggets now comes with just one dip,” The Daily Mail reported.
That’s not an official corporate policy, but it’s something stores have been doing. I’ve seen in practice when picking up a McNuggets meal for my son, where a 10-piece meal comes with only two sauce packets.
The Daily Mail reached out to McDonald’s corporate, which did not offer a comment.
“Meanwhile, the price for extra dipping sauces varies by location. In New York City, at the Madison Square Garden location, it’s 22 cents, and at JFK Airport, 30 cents. In Belleville, New Jersey, expect to pay a whopping 39 cents,” the website shared.
McDonald’s ends self-serve soda
While limiting sauce packets may be a franchise-level choice, McDonald’s has decided to get rid of self-serve soda on a national level.
The beverage station, however, will get a long goodbye, according to CBS News.
“McDonalds will eventually remove self-service soft drink stations in its restaurants, the company says, though you have another nine years to squirt your own Sprite: they can remain out until 2032,” Today.com reported.
The chain said the change is intended to create a consistent experience for both McDonald’s workers and their customers at all ordering points — meaning that whether you order your Big Mac Meal via McDelivery, the app, kiosk, drive-thru or in-restaurant, you’ll get your grub the same exact way.
“In a pure example of corporate doublespeak, the line is that ditching the self-service option is for customers’ convenience,” TheStreet shared in an earlier article.
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Self-serve drinks used to be seen as a way to cut down on labor costs. Now, with chains wanting to squeeze every bit of margin out of their customers, franchise owners would prefer to have employees serve customers to reduce waste and take in revenue from the occasional paid-for refill.
And while McDonald’s won’t complete the change until 2032, many locations have already removed self-serve drink stations.
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McDonald’s has been doing well
As McDonald’s continues to emphasize value messaging, it has also increased its focus on operational efficiency across restaurants.
The chain encourages digital ordering through its app and in-store kiosks, reducing reliance on front-counter service in many locations. The change is part of a broader effort to streamline operations and manage costs amid ongoing labor pressure.
Across multiple McDonald’s visits, some customers appear to struggle with the kiosk system, particularly when customizing orders.
“Restaurant operators are balancing pricing, traffic, and margin pressure in a more constrained consumer environment,” said Bank of America analyst Sara Senatore in an interview with CNBC.
McDonald’s, however, has had success with its Extra Value Meals.
“I am pleased to say that our EVM performance in the fourth quarter is exactly where we had hoped to be at this point. Together with McValue and exciting marketing, we gained share with low-income consumers in December, and we’ve seen a meaningful increase in our value and affordability scores,” Kempczinski said.
“Predictably, as U.S. franchisees provided these stronger value offerings throughout the year, their cash flow grew versus the prior year,” he added.
Still, as beef prices climb, McDonald’s has found ways to trim expenses. It’s also testing an artificial intelligence-based ordering system.
“There’s a big leap from going to 10 restaurants in Chicago to 14,000 restaurants across the U.S., with an infinite number of promo permutations, menu permutations, dialect permutations, weather — and on and on and on,” Kempczinski said, according to a conference transcript obtained by Nation’s Restaurant News.
“Do I think in five years from now you’re going to see a voice in the drive-thru? I do, but I don’t think that this is going to be something that happens in the next year or so.”
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