It’s January, which means that restaurant chains are pushing more discounts.
Several fast-food chains kicked off the new year with several new deals, many of them bundled value offers. Yet they are coming during a period in which value appears to be omnipresent on chain menus as chains fight for a declining share of customer counts.
On Tuesday, Habit Burger announced the return of its “Gotta Habit Meal Deals.” The meals feature a half sandwich, a choice of side and a fountain drink, priced at $6 (BBQ Chicken sandwich), $8 (Chicken Club sandwich) or $10 (Santa Barbara Char).
On Monday, the drive-thru burger chain Checkers & Rally’s announced a $5 “MVP Meal Deal” giving customers either a Mushroom Swissburger, Spicy Chicken Sandwich or a Cheese Double, fries, small drink and an apple pie.
Jack in the Box, which will sell two tacos to its loyalty members on Tuesday for 75 cents, announced 2-for-$6 Jack Wraps.
The San Antonio-based Whataburger launched a Whatadeal Menu featuring items priced from $3 to $5. It includes a Whataburger Big Ranch Wrap at $3, a 5-piece Whatachick’n Bites at $4 and a Bacon and Cheese Whataburger Jr. at $5. Customers can make each of these items a meal with small fries and a small drink for another $2.49.
Image courtesy of Whataburger.
Discounts and value offers are commonplace in January as restaurant chains look to build traffic during what is an otherwise slow period. Consumers are typically cutting back on spending after indulging during the holiday season.
Many consumers are also focused on losing the weight they’ve gained during that period rather than on stuffing themselves with fried chicken or big burgers. Several chains are introducing protein-centric menu items this week, too.
This year’s discounts come in a backdrop of a market that has proven more difficult and head-scratching than any in recent memory. Value offers are already common on fast-food menus. Most major chains have some sort of consistent discount on their menus already.
And nearly one out of three orders these days feature some sort of discount offer, according to the data firm Circana.
None of that has translated into particularly robust traffic. Twenty three restaurant chains reported negative same-store sales in the third calendar quarter. Full-service chains averaged 0.65% same-store sales during the period, compared with 0.22%.
Image courtesy of Habit Burger.