Mcdonald's Extends Its $5 Value Meal — but Is It Still the Best Deal?

The $5 Meal Deal from McDonald's was only supposed to last a month, but customers have proved that lowering pricing will bring them back to the fast-food menu. The $5 Meal Deal will stay until at least August, maybe longer. 

Families and individuals struggling to keep up with the rising price of food used to be able to turn to fast-food chains for a quick and cheap meal on the go, but that's been shifting as customers noticed the pricing was nearly on par with "real" restaurants that serve a higher quality of food. 

Many fast-food chains reinvented their value me to combat the price hikes, hoping to lure back customers without fundamentally changing their base pricing. McDonald's $5 Meal Deal is close to the best value meal, but it's not quite at the top.

Find out which go-to places have the most value and which are mostly fluff. 

Savings: 18%

Popeyes is better at chicken than they are at savings, and a recent comparison of fast-food value meals ranked them as the worst deal. They package $8.50 worth of food into a $6.99 value meal, so if you're looking for fried chicken you may as well just order what you really want rather than focusing on minuscule savings with the meal deal. 

Savings: 30%

Arby's ranked second worst for savings on their value meal, offering $14.37 worth of food for $9.99. The benefit to this deal is the food is regular-sized and the drink is a shake. Trying to upgrade other value meals to a milkshake can throw the savings out the window. 

Savings: 35%

Starbucks might be pulling in at only the third worst deal, but looking at what the deal includes will have you channeling your mother and saying things like "Oh no, we have coffee and tea at home, thank you very much!" One coffee or tea and one breakfast sandwich for $6 just doesn't seem like a good deal. It's not even a fancy coffee! 

Savings: 39%

Coming in with the fourth worst meal deal, Kentucky Fried Chicken is offering a value meal that caters only to those who want two pieces of dark meat - which is fairly specific considering the adaptability of some other meal deals. 

Savings: 42%

Burger King offers the main competition to the McDonald's value meal that has been extended for longer availability, but they don't offer quite as much savings as the classic Golden Arches.  

Savings: 43%

If you're craving a personal pan pizza and a side of fries, you will save money with the value meal. Pizza Hut surprisingly ranks as fourth best for meal deal value. 

Savings: 50%

McD's ranks in the top tier of savings on meal deals by offering a McChicken or McDouble, a four-piece chicken nuggets, small fries, and a small drink for $5. Purchasing the items individually totals $9.96, so it's no wonder this deal brought customers back to the Golden Arches. 

Savings: 53%

Wendy's $5 option beats out McDonald's and Burger King by including a small Frosty along with the burger, nuggets, fries, and a soft drink. McDonald's might be able to compete with that offer if only they could keep the ice cream machine working. 

Savings: 55%

Surprisingly, Taco Bell reigns as king of fast-food savings, offering $15.65 worth of food for $7.00 with their Luxe Cravings Box. They don't skimp on food portions, either, including a Chalupa Supreme, a Beefy 5-Layer Burrito, a Double Stacked Taco, Chips and Nacho Cheese Sauce, and medium drink. 

That is the most food and savings, knocking even good ol' McD's from the top spot for meal deals. 

Fast-food chains have been struggling to keep customer loyalty in the face of becoming slow and expensive, and offering value meal deals is bringing some back to the drive-through line. McDonald's began to feel customers pulling away in the first quarter of the year, and reported weaker than expected sales. 

The return of the $5 meal is credited with pulling patrons back to the Golden Arches, and may be continued past August if it continues to drive sales. 

It's not just fast-food feeling the loss of customers, as many are opting to eat at home and stay in to combat rising grocery costs. When dining out becomes a luxury cost, it's reasonable for people to save that expense for something that feels luxurious - which is the opposite of fast food. 

The only way to truly bring customers back to the drive-through lines is by making it affordable again.