The trend: McDonald’s and Burger King parent Restaurant Brands International (RBI) ended 2025 on a high, showing that doubling down on value and offering more enticing limited-time offers can resonate with customers.

• McDonald’s US same-store sales jumped 6.8% YoY, the biggest increase in over two years.
• Burger King’s US same-store sales rose a more modest 2.6% YoY, but the chain has outperformed the QSR burger category in nine of the past 12 quarters, RBI CEO Joshua Kozba said.

Zoom in: Both major fast-food players have adopted nearly identical playbooks to appeal to value-conscious customers.

Nostalgia-driven promotions. McDonald’s Grinch Meal was a resounding Q4 hit, setting sales records—including the biggest sales day in company history—and briefly making the fast-food chain the largest global seller of socks. Burger King also scored with its SpongeBob meal, which Kozba said drove the highest kids meal engagement in a decade.

Sharp value propositions. Burger King’s $5 and $7 menus helped retain customers drawn in by the SpongeBob promotion and reinforce everyday value. Likewise, McDonald’s initiatives, including the relaunch of its Extra Value meals, enabled the chain to gain share among lower-income consumers in December and improve its value proposition.

Frequent menu innovation. McDonald’s is steadily rolling out products—like Snack Wraps and the McCrispy—to keep pace with consumers’ shifting tastes and fuel store visits. The company is also looking to the lucrative beverages category to drive growth, with new energy drinks, iced coffees, refreshers, and sodas set to launch this year. Burger King is offering more variations of its Whopper and working to elevate its menu to drive larger market share gains.

The implications: McDonald’s and Burger King have laid out a clear blueprint for growth, but other QSRs will find it more challenging to follow their example.

Delivering value is expensive, especially as prices for key ingredients like beef and coffee continue to spike. Beef costs jumped 20% YoY in Q4, RBI said, putting significant pressure on franchise profitability. And while McDonald’s value menus are bringing in traffic, they are also weighing on franchisee margins.

Meal deals alone aren’t enough to win cost-conscious customers; fast-food chains need to deliver a quality, consistent experience to keep full-service restaurants from stealing traffic. The majority of US adults (57%) cite food quality as the biggest reason for a disappointing dining experience, while 34% point to service, per an August McKinsey survey. That means restaurants need to invest in the fundamentals to change consumers’ value perceptions.