As National Hamburger Day (May 28) approaches, Burger King (or as fans in Australia know it, Hungry Jack’s) is coming to the literal and proverbial table with news for budget-conscious foodies. (And who isn’t one these days?) On Thursday, Burger King announced that it will be releasing a $5 value meal. According to a company spokesperson, via Reuters, the chain has been planning to bring back the Your Way Meal since at least April. In similar fashion, Burger King’s value meal follows what’s shaping up to be the unofficial fast food value meal formula: a choice between three sandwiches (Whopper Jr., Chicken Jr., or Bacon Cheeseburger) plus chicken nuggets, fries, and a drink. It’s a strikingly similar model to the items included in a Wendy’s $5 Biggie Bag, which has been available every single day since its release in 2019, ostensibly pioneering the now-rapidly-growing fast food value meal sector.
Earlier this month, BK added two other new items to its menu, the cheesesteak-inspired Philly Royal Crispy Wrap and Philly Melt. It’s perhaps thanks to strategic moves like these that the chain has reportedly seen heightened traffic even as some fast food competitors have felt the sting of dwindling visits due to enduring cost-of-living pressures. In a statement to USA Today, the company shared that “Burger King is accelerating its value offers after three quarters of leading the industry in value traffic.”
Burger King is wearing the crown in the competitive discount fast food market trend
Burger King’s latest Your Way Meal may mark an instance of one-upmanship as fast food chains try to attract customers in the face of inflation. Last March, the company gave away free Whoppers for three whole days as a proletariat-style snub to competitor Wendy’s controversial “dynamic pricing.” BK has announced that it’s new combo will be arriving before McDonald’s newly-announced $5 value meal, which is slated to drop on June 25. Moreover, unlike McDonald’s deal’s four-week-long run, Burger King has announced that its Your Way Meal will remain available for several months at least. The company has yet to release an exact date for when the meal will officially hit the Burger King menu. Last week, Wendy’s also rolled out a $3 breakfast combo deal, which some folks speculated is a direct reaction to McDonald’s announcement of its $5 meal deal.
Long story short, it’s (finally) good news for inflation-weary consumers. Better yet, experts anticipate the value-focused trend to continue (hoorah). As Dr. Michael Swanson, Wells Fargo’s Chief Agriculture Economist, tells Good Morning America, “[F]rom what we’ve seen, all these companies are really battling for market share — and this usually reflects either quality or price and hopefully both.”
