McDonald’s started the ball rolling, then Burger King jumped in, and now Taco Bell and Sonic want a piece of the value meal action.
Taco Bell couldn’t find a way to cobble together a $5 deal, but it thinks its new $7 Luxe Cravings Box beats Ronald’s sandwich, fries, and drink deal. The Cravings Box includes a Chalupa Supreme, Beefy five-Layer Burrito, Double Stacked Taco, chips and nacho cheese sauce, and a medium drink.
And like McDonald’s deal, Taco Bell’s is only available for a limited time, but it still has its regular Cravings Value Menu featuring 10 crave-worthy items, all for $3 or less and its permanent Veggie Build-Your-Own-Cravings-Box, giving vegetarian and flexitarian fans alike even more ways to save and customize their veg cravings for $5.99, but it’s only available on Taco Bell’s website and app.
“Our Cravings Value Menu is one of the leading value menus within the industry … because we believe consumers shouldn’t have to choose between affordability and abundance,” Taylor Montgomery, Taco Bell’s chief marketing officer, said.
Sonic undercuts them all
Sonic, on the other hand, spared no mercy in going lower than McDonald’s and Taco Bell with a new – and permanent – $1.99 value menu.
The company claims it’s the “most fun you can have for $1.99” and it may be right.
The $1.99 Menu options include a Quarter Pound Double Cheeseburger, Chili Cheese Coney, Bacon Ranch Queso Wrap, Southwest Crunch Queso Wrap, Small Tots, and any of the 12 flavors of Sonic Shakes in a 16-ounce size, including Strawberry, Chocolate and Oreo Cheesecake.
Sonic's new wraps are the centerpiece of this value promotion. One is the $1.99 Bacon Ranch Queso Wrap – crispy all-white meat tender, crisp bacon, melty cheddar cheese, creamy ranch, and luscious white queso, all wrapped up in a warm flour tortilla. There’s also the Southwest Crunch Queso Wrap
“Now more than ever, consumers are focused on affordable food options, but they shouldn’t have to settle for the same old, tired discounts or boring meals. Many restaurant brands are touting value meals and discounts, and you see a lot of recycled ideas with limited options," said Ryan Dickerson, chief marketing officer of Sonic.
"At Sonic, we wanted to do something different – something fun –, so we focused on variety, which is why we’re introducing the new $1.99 Menu, or what we like to call the FUN.99 Menu.”
In addition to getting half-price drinks and slushes any time they order in the Sonic App, app users can take advantage of half-price classic Sonic Cheeseburgers on Tuesday nights, and exclusive monthly rewards and offers.