McDonald’s is giving hungry diners a new reason to say, “I love it,” as the fast-food giant is reportedly planning to launch a $3 or less menu.
According to a report wall street journalthe chain will roll out a new menu starting in April featuring items $3 or less and $4 breakfast items. The goal is to lure back low-income customers amid widespread complaints about the rising cost of fast food.
The intelligence comes from a message McDonald’s sent to franchisees and reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. “Together we have made incredible progress and remain committed to meeting evolving customer needs,” McDonald’s said in the message. The company itself has yet to comment publicly on the new menu.
These new products are known internally as “McValue 2.0” and reportedly include at least the following:
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breakfast: Sausage biscuits, hash browns, sausage waffles
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Lunch/Dinner: 4 pieces of Chicken McNuggets, Chicken McNuggets, Chicken McNuggets, small fries
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New $4 Breakfast Value Meal: Includes McMuffins, hash browns and coffee
The new items will reportedly replace the $1 One Plus One menu added in 2025. The $3 menu also follows the $5 McValue meal, which became available for a limited time in 2024 and has since become a fixture on the menu.
In late 2025, the chain also announced the return of Value Meals while promising they were “always working to make our meals more affordable to bring you the food you love at affordable prices.”
“The reintroduction of Value Meals reflects the company and franchisees’ shared commitment to delivering everyday affordable prices,” said Danielle Marasco, McDonald’s owner/operator and president of the National Franchisee Leadership Alliance, in a statement. “We are working together to make the menu items our customers love affordable for everyone in the communities we serve.”
It appears the strategy is working.
In last month’s earnings report, McDonald’s boasted sales growth, adding that “by listening to and taking action on what our customers have to say, we’ve increased foot traffic and improved our value and affordability scores.”
In 2024, McDonald’s USA president Joe Erlinger was forced to issue a statement in response to a viral post claiming the chain had “significantly increased prices beyond the rate of inflation.”
Citing reports of $18 Big Mac meals being sold, Ehlinger said he was also frustrated but insisted the average price in the U.S. at the time was $5.29. While that’s a 21% increase from the 2019 average, Erlinger cited the pandemic, supply chain issues and “inflationary pressures.”
“That’s why many of our menu items’ price increases are below the rate of inflation and stay within the price range of other fast-food restaurants,” he claimed. “That’s why more than 90 percent of U.S. franchisees offer combo meals for $4 or less.”
Meanwhile, McDonald’s also launched its new Big Arch Burger in the United States this week. Billed as “the most McDonald’s McDonald’s burger ever,” the sandwich consists of two quarter-pound beef patties, three slices of white cheddar cheese, crispy onions and the new tangy “Grand Arch Sauce” on two sesame seed buns.
However, its prices vary from state to state.
This article was originally published by Men’s Journal on March 11, 2026, and first appeared in the Food section. Click here to add Men’s Diary as your go-to source.