McDonald’s Is Releasing a New $3 or Less Menu. Here's What's on It (So Far)

McDonald's is prepping a new reason for hungry diners to exclaim "I'm lovin' it,” as the fast food giant is reportedly planning a $3 or less menu.

According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, the chain will start rolling out a new menu with items for $3 or less, as well as $4 breakfast meals, starting in April. The goal is to lure back lower-income customers, amid general complaints about the rising costs of fast food.

The intel comes from a message from McDonald's to chain franchisees, which was viewed by WSJ. “We have achieved incredible progress together and remain committed to meeting ever-changing customer needs,” McDonald's said in the message; the company itself has not commented publicly on the new menus.

The new offers are being dubbed internally as “McValue 2.0” and reportedly include at least the following:

• Breakfast: Sausage Biscuit, Hash Browns, Sausage McMuffin
• Lunch/Dinner: 4-Piece Chicken McNuggets, McDouble, McChicken, Small Fries
• New $4 Morning Value Meal: includes a McMuffin, Hash Brown, and Coffee

Other McDonald's Deals

These new items will reportedly replace the Buy One, Add One for $1 menu added in 2025. The $3 menu also follows the $5 McValue meal deal that began as a limited-time offer in 2024, before becoming a fixture of the menu.

In late 2025, the chain also announced the return of Extra Value Meals, while promising they've “been working hard to make our meals more affordable, giving you the food you love at a price that hits the spot.”

“Bringing back Extra Value Meals reflects the company and franchisees’ shared commitment to offering everyday affordable prices,” McDonald’s Owner/Operator and National Franchisee Leadership Alliance Chair Danielle Marasco said in a statement. “We’re working together to keep the menu items our customers love affordable for everyone in the communities we serve.”

The strategy, it seems, is working.

In an earnings report last month, McDonald's boasted sales increases, adding that “by listening to customers and taking action, we have improved traffic and strengthened our value & affordability scores.”

Earlier Response to Affordability Complaints

In 2024, Joe Erlinger, President of McDonald’s USA, had to issue a statement about viral posts claiming the chain had "raised prices significantly beyond inflationary rates.”

Citing reports about an $18 Big Mac Meal being sold, Erlinger said he too was frustrated, before insisting the average price in the U.S. at the time was $5.29. While that was a 21% increase over the same average in 2019, Erlinger cited the pandemic, supply chain issues and “inflationary pressures.”

“That’s why prices for many of our menu items have risen less than the rate of inflation – and remain well within the range of other quick service restaurants," he claimed. “It’s also why more than 90% of U.S. franchisees are offering meal bundles for $4 or less.”

McDonald's, meanwhile, also launched the new Big Arch Burger this week in the United States. Calling it the "most McDonald's McDonald's burger yet," the sandwich is made up of two quarter-pound beef patties, three slices of white cheddar, crispy onions, and a new tangy “Big Arch Sauce” on two sesame buns.

Prices for it, however, vary state-to-state.