McDonald's Tests New Value Bundles in 1,900 Restaurants Ahead of 2027 Push

McDonald's is running an eight-week test of two new entry-level value platforms across dayparts in roughly 1,900 U.S. restaurants, CEO Chris Kempczinski said during a Wednesday earnings call. Franchisees operating about 4,000 additional locations have already launched similar bundles on their own, before any analysis of the formal test results. Together, the tests and franchisee offerings cover 40% of the U.S. system.

The company plans to convert what it learns into a new national value program in early 2027.

What are the two test formats?

The first is mix-and-match bundles, built on results from earlier buy-one-add-on offers, that give customers more choice. The second is fixed bundles: a set combination at an "attractive price" that makes ordering more straightforward, Kempczinski said.

Both formats aim squarely at the entry-level price tier — the segment where McDonald's admitted earlier this year it had a problem.

Why is McDonald's restructuring value again?

CFO Ian Borden said months ago that the $3 and Under menu, launched in April, did not resonate with consumers. He cited low awareness and inconsistent franchisee execution across the system as the causes. The new tests are the structural response: bundles rather than an à la carte price cap, plus tighter alignment between the company and its operators.

Kempczinski said the breadth of voluntary franchisee participation shows "strong alignment across the system around entry-level value options."

Did the Q3 interventions work?

U.S. comparable sales fell 0.2% in the third quarter, but sales turned positive in September. Kempczinski attributed the late-quarter improvement to several interventions:

• Restoration of digital offers that increased traffic among McDonald's most engaged customers
• A shift in marketing toward entry-level value platforms
• Greater focus on restaurant-level execution

"We're encouraged by the initial response to those interventions and the direction of the business," Kempczinski said. "At the same time, we know there's more work to do. Our focus now is to build on that improvement and accelerate baseline performance."

McDonald's restored a range of regional and national digital offers, including a $2 breakfast sandwich and free fries with a $1 minimum purchase, Borden said.

"The initial responses to the mass digital offers exceeded expectations for both incremental guest count and sales, and helped to reverse the decline in baseline trends we saw in Q2 and early in Q3," Borden said.

What do the meal-deal numbers show?

The company also reallocated marketing support toward rest-of-day entry-level meal deals and Extra Value Meals. Since relaunching Extra Value Meals more than a year ago, unit sales for the combos in its top EVMs rose about 7% year over year, and the chain "consistently seen incremental traffic with higher average check and margin," Borden said.

Kempczinski framed the pricing picture in competitive terms: "We've already made significant improvements to address holistic value across our menu, which contributed to improvement in value and experience scores across our top 10 markets. Today, our base menu pricing across the industry's most popular menu items in chicken, beef, and beverages is generally below that of our near end competitors."

What does this change for operators?

In September, McDonald's detailed its Next initiative, a strategy covering restaurant modernization, technology deployments, operational improvements and menu innovation. The company plans to invest $8.5 billion in partner support through 2036, including roughly $5 billion by 2030 in rent relief and capital support.

That capital commitment, paired with the bundle tests, signals that the 2027 national value program will arrive with operator financing already in place — and with franchisees who have already priced entry-level bundles on their own menus setting the benchmark the national platform must meet.