McDonald’s restaurant and value menu products representing the company’s renewed U.S. value strategy /AI

McDonald’s Plans Value Strategy Overhaul as U.S. Sales Growth Slows

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McDonald’s Corp. is reportedly working with franchisees on a broader value strategy after its U.S. business posted its weakest comparable sales growth in more than a year. The company is expected to develop a longer-term approach for price-conscious customers while also introducing shorter-term promotions built around popular menu items and digital offers.

The initiative represents one of the first major strategic moves under newly appointed McDonald’s USA President Skye Anderson. It also comes ahead of the company’s investor day, where management is expected to provide more detail on its next phase of growth.

Summary

McDonald’s is reportedly preparing both short- and long-term changes to its U.S. value strategy as comparable sales growth slows. U.S. comparable sales rose only 0.8% in the latest quarter, compared with 2.5% a year earlier, while customer traffic remained under pressure.

The company has already expanded its lower-priced menu with at least 10 items below $3 and continues to use app-based promotions. However, inconsistent execution across franchise locations and a reduction in digital offers limited the effectiveness of those initiatives during the second quarter.

Key figures

Metric	Latest figure
U.S. comparable sales growth, Q2 2026	+0.8%
U.S. comparable sales growth, Q2 2025	+2.5%
Global comparable sales growth, Q2 2026	+1.3%
Items on expanded Under $3 Menu	At least 10
Reported McDonald’s stock performance YTD	About -17%
McDonald’s Investor Day	September 23, 2026

McDonald’s official results show that global comparable sales increased 1.3% in the second quarter, while the U.S. market grew only 0.8%. The company said positive check growth was partly offset by negative comparable guest counts.

McDonald’s develops a longer-term value strategy

According to a Bloomberg report cited by Investing.com, McDonald’s told franchisees that it plans to spend the coming weeks developing a longer-term value approach aimed at customers who have become increasingly price sensitive. The company is also preparing a shorter-term plan based on temporary menu items and digital promotions featuring products that are already popular with customers.

The McDonald’s app currently includes offers such as a $2 breakfast sandwich and free medium fries with a minimum $1 purchase. These promotions form part of a wider effort to strengthen the digital side of the company’s value proposition and encourage repeat visits from loyalty customers. McDonald’s official U.S. deals page confirms that both offers are currently available at participating restaurants.

Shares initially moved higher following reports of the strategy change before giving back most of those gains. According to the original report, McDonald’s stock was roughly 17% lower year-to-date, adding pressure on management to improve momentum in its largest market.

Weak U.S. sales put greater pressure on management

Comparable sales at established U.S. restaurants increased just 0.8% in the second quarter, the company’s weakest U.S. performance since early 2025. The result was also well below the 2.5% growth reported in the same quarter a year earlier.

McDonald’s said the U.S. business was supported by higher average checks and a favorable product mix, but those gains were partly offset by weaker guest counts. Reuters reported that management attributed part of the slowdown to inconsistent execution of value promotions and a reduction in digital offers, which particularly affected frequent customers.

CEO Chris Kempczinski characterized the weakness as an execution problem rather than a broader strategic failure. During the company’s August earnings discussion, management acknowledged that its combination of value offers, promotional activity and digital changes had not been executed as effectively as expected.

Skye Anderson takes charge of the U.S. turnaround

The strategy overhaul is the first significant initiative under Skye Anderson, who became President of McDonald’s USA in August. McDonald’s said her appointment was intended to bring greater focus and urgency to the company’s largest market, where she now oversees strategy and operations across nearly 14,000 restaurants.

Anderson brings more than 26 years of experience at McDonald’s, including senior roles in finance, operations and U.S. regional management. During her time leading the company’s West Zone, McDonald’s said the business delivered more than 30% comparable sales growth over four years and increased average restaurant unit cash flow by $100,000.

The leadership change comes ahead of McDonald’s Investor Day on September 23, when the company is expected to discuss its broader “McDonald’s > NEXT” strategy and long-term growth priorities.

Previous value offers delivered mixed results

McDonald’s has spent several years trying to strengthen its value positioning as consumers face higher living costs and become more selective about restaurant spending. The company benefited from its $5 Meal Deal strategy before expanding McValue more broadly and introducing a new Under $3 Menu in April 2026.

That menu includes at least 10 breakfast, lunch and dinner items priced below $3 at participating restaurants, including the Sausage McMuffin, McChicken, McDouble, four-piece Chicken McNuggets and small fries. McDonald’s also introduced a $4 breakfast meal as part of the expanded value platform.

Execution, however, proved inconsistent. Reuters reported that McDonald’s pulled back on some digital offers and ended its Buy One, Add One for $1 promotion, while value pricing was not implemented uniformly across franchise locations. Because franchisees independently set many restaurant prices, the effectiveness of national value campaigns depends heavily on participation and local execution.

Digital offers could become more important

The renewed focus on digital promotions is particularly important because McDonald’s has built one of the largest loyalty ecosystems in the restaurant industry. Across 70 loyalty markets, systemwide sales to loyalty members exceeded $40 billion over the twelve months through the second quarter, while 90-day active loyalty users rose 13% to nearly 220 million.

That scale gives McDonald’s considerable flexibility to target promotions more precisely through its app instead of relying solely on nationwide menu discounts. Digital offers can also be changed quickly, allowing the company to respond to consumer demand without permanently lowering menu prices across thousands of franchise-operated restaurants.

The challenge will be balancing affordability with franchisee profitability. McDonald’s needs promotions strong enough to increase traffic among price-sensitive diners without undermining restaurant-level margins or creating excessive complexity for operators.

What investors should watch

The upcoming investor day should provide a clearer picture of how McDonald’s intends to rebuild U.S. traffic and improve value perception. Investors will likely focus on whether management can create a more consistent national value platform while maintaining cooperation with franchisees.

The performance of digital promotions will also be important. A recovery in guest counts would suggest that McDonald’s value strategy is beginning to resonate again, while continued weakness could increase pressure for more aggressive pricing or promotional changes.

For now, the strategic reset shows that McDonald’s sees U.S. execution as an area requiring immediate attention. The company still has substantial brand scale and digital reach, but translating those advantages into stronger restaurant traffic will be a central test for its new U.S. leadership.