Early in 2024, it became clear that restaurant consumers were incredibly cautious thanks to an uncertain economy, and companies began scrapping marketing plans in favor of value deals to maintain their traffic.
As early as the first week of January, we began hearing plans for value menus, and those plans continued to roll out throughout the year, with chains adding new deals, revamping previous ones, and adding on as the months rolled by.
After months of rumors, chains were really off to the races when McDonald’s launched its $5 Meal Deal in late June, which seemed to open the floodgates.
Despite all the talk at quick-service restaurants about low-income consumers, they were not the only chains leaning into value. It was also a trend at casual-dining brands like Applebee’s, which added value deals throughout the year, and Chili’s, which expanded its longtime 3 for Me platform.
Click through the gallery to see 15 of the many value deals added in 2024, and stay tuned to NRN.com throughout 2025 to see how the trend continues to play out.
