The fast food value wars are officially on.
On June 13, Burger King dropped a commercial debuting its $5 Your Way Meal. In the ad, a narrator goes over customers’ options for the cost-friendly meal.
“Eat like a king who’s on a budget; three tasty options, fries, drink, and nuggets, all for five bucks — wait that can’t be right!” the sing-songy narrator says in the commercial. “Just confirmed that that’s the real price.”
The $5 Your Way Meal deal includes a choice between Whopper Jr., Bacon Cheeseburger and Chicken Jr., plus fries, a four-piece chicken nuggets and a soft drink.
Burger King initially confirmed to TODAY.com on May 29 that it would be re-releasing the $5 value meal. This move makes the fast-food royal the latest in a long line of national chains hoping to attract cash-conscious customers.
“Burger King is accelerating its value offers after three quarters of leading the industry in value traffic,” a Burger King spokesperson told TODAY.com at the time.
Additionally, in a memo obtained by Bloomberg, Burger King said it planned to relaunch the meal before McDonald’s drops its own similar deal in late June. CNBC reported in May that McDonald’s USA would be introducing a $5 value meal for one month on June 25. Customers will be able to pick between a McChicken and McDouble, which will come with a four-piece McNuggets, fries and a drink.
Unlike the Golden Arches, Burger King plans to offer its meal “for several months,” per the memo signed by Tom Curtis, president of Burger King U.S. and Canada.
“Our priority at BK is to offer Guests great value all year long — never just for a single month,” a Burger King spokesperson tells TODAY.com over email.
The spokesperson adds that the chain balances “offering delicious, quality food at a fair price” with “maintaining strong profitability for our Franchisees” — this strategy includes the $5 Your Way Meal, $5 Whopper Jr. Duos, $2.99 wraps and more.
Burger King previously offered $5 Duo deals which came with a choice of any two items from a selection of BK Royal Crispy Wrap flavors and/or a Whopper Jr.
The chain’s latest announcement comes as drive-through fans voice their displeasure with expensive fast food, and chains like KFC and Starbucks report sales declines.
Folks have been posting about eye-popping fast food prices on TikTok, X and beyond. Viral complaints about the cost of $17 for two Filet O’ Fish sandwiches and $3 for a single hash brown shows prices have been driving these customers away. Now, from Buffalo Wild Wings to Wendy’s, Pizza Hut and more, restaurants are finally listening.
Quick-serve sit-down restaurants are also joining in on the value wars. In April, Denny’s announced the return of its low-priced All-Day Diner Deals starting at $5.99 while Applebee’s and Chili’s have their own low-cost offerings, too.
John Peyton, CEO of Dine Brands (the Applebee’s and IHOP parent company), previously told TODAY.com his company has been looking at consumer spending patterns and is prepared for a shift towards more value-focused purchases.
