Following McDonald’s and Burger King’s lead, Hardee’s, Jimmy John’s, and Taco John’s have jumped on the value meal bandwagon.
Over at Hardee’s, the chain has brought back the Hardee’s Original Bag, priced at a competitive $5.99. The combo comes with the choice of two entrée’s – Hardee’s Original Hot Ham & Cheese, Double Cheeseburger, or Hand Breaded Chicken Tender Wraps.
But in select markets, local favorites like Hardee’s Chili Dog and Regular Roast Beef Sandwich are also included as options. Hardee's Original Bag includes a small fry and drink, with the option to upgrade to a medium or large size for an additional charge.
At Jimmy John’s, the chain has also added a new attractive sandwich combo -- but at $10. It’s not exactly in the same price range as Hardee’s $5 deal.
Jimmy John’s Total Package Meal includes an eight-inch Original sandwich of your choice, a bag of Jimmy Chips potato chips, a regular size drink, and your choice of a cookie or brownie. Nor is it that much of a savings, either. NRN reports that, normally, a Jimmy John’s sandwich costs around $10, although combos – without dessert – were available for around $11.50 before the deal was introduced.
“The combination is being marketed as a larger, more filling meal than most of the value menus available,” NRN’s Bret Thorne said.
Taco John’s hasn’t gotten much ink in the value meal realm, possibly because of its small number of locations. But truth be known, it was probably the first to offer a sub-$5 deal when it brought back its BOGO for $1 and seven items under $4 menu way back in February.
But since everyone else is trying to push a value meal, it figures it should have a seat at that table, too, and has added a digital-only $7 Meal Steal. For that $7, you get a Nacho Crunch Beef Burrito, two tacos, a small order of Potato Olés, and a small drink.
Starbucks shuts down its value meal
When the value menu war started back in June, Starbucks wanted to be a part of the action, too, and rolled out a Pairings Menu for $6. But the company never made it known whether the promotion was, in reality, a competitive promotion or merely a trial balloon to see if the notion worked well enough for the company to maker it a permanent fixture.
But timing is everything and not too long after the Pairings Menu introduction, Starbucks quarterly report was released, showing that revenue and traffic were down. Shortly thereafter, ex-CEO Howard Schultz suggested that food and fancy, expensive drinks like bubble tea weren’t the company’s way up and that it should refocus on coffee instead.
The founder's words may have had some sting and, shortly after the latest earnings announcement, Starbucks put its value meal in mothballs.
However, there are two new points of emphasis the company is focusing on. One is new loyalty partnerships with Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors which allow Starbucks Rewards members an additional way to link accounts and unlock exclusive benefits for travel and coffee.
The other is Starbucks Delivery with Grubhub, with the goal of national availability in all 50 states by the end of August 2024.