12 Fast-Food Chains Making Quiet Menu Changes, Analysts Say

Major shifts are happening behind the scenes at your favorite fast-food spots. While customers might notice a new sandwich here or a different drink there, the reality is much bigger. Dunkin’, KFC, Subway, Taco Bell and Wendy’s have all debuted new promotions this month, continuing last year’s theme that affordability rules in enticing inflation-weary consumers turned off by rising prices back to their restaurants. “With continued consumer pullback, fast food chains continue to look for ways to jump-start traffic and find some avenues for growth,” explains industry analyst David Henkes.

These changes go far beyond simple menu tweaks. From revolutionary pricing strategies to complete operational overhauls, major chains are quietly transforming how they serve food. Let’s dive into the twelve chains making the biggest waves with their behind-the-scenes changes.

McDonald’s Launches Comprehensive Value Revolution

This week it launched the “McValue” menu, a new permanent category representing the chain’s biggest change since the 2018 launch of its $1-$2-$3 menu. In addition to the popular $5 meal, the McValue menu has buy-one, get-one-for-$1 options, as well as app-exclusive offers. The fast-food giant isn’t just adding another promotion. Perhaps this is what inspired McDonald’s upcoming New Year’s resolution: an all-new value menu, reportedly set to drop in 2025. The company’s CEO, Chris Kempczinski, has hinted that this new collection of specials will be holistic in nature. The details of what will be included were released by McDonald’s in November 2024, and it includes a “buy one add one for $1” deal on popular menu items such as 6 piece nuggets, small fries, and breakfast items including the sausage McMuffin. There will also be a $5 meal deal, as well as local deals and in-app exclusive deals.

Wendy’s Pioneers Dynamic Pricing Technology

They’re investing $20 million to get digital menus in all US owned restaurants by 2025. This move will change how they talk to customers. It allows for instant menu changes and special offers, powered by AI. The burger chain is testing something no other major fast-food company has attempted at this scale. They plan to use AI to adjust menu prices and offers, helping customers spend less during quiet times. This means fast food prices will change in a way that’s good for customers. Critics worry about surge pricing, but Wendy’s ensures, however, that it has no intention of using its new tool to hike up price tags on menu items; rather, to lower them during slower hours in an attempt to generate customer interest.

Taco Bell Expands Successful Value Strategy

The Mexican-inspired chain found gold with their pricing approach. The taco chain is having so much success with its $7 “Luxe Cravings Box” that it’s expanding it with two new price points at $5 and $9. Taco Bell is also betting big on fried chicken and fries in 2025 with the return of its fan-favorite Nacho Fries and Crispy Chicken Nuggets, with the latter also added to new burritos and tacos. The returning Decades menu will pay tribute to the early 2000s with nostalgic favorites like the Doritos Locos Tacos and the Double Decker Taco. Their strategy focuses on variety while maintaining affordability. Like many of its fast food competitors, Taco Bell is also laser-focused on its beverage offerings this year, expecting sales to reach $5 billion in the next five years.

Subway Overhauls Daily Deal Format

Subway’s added a new “Meal of the Day” menu that changes daily. Priced at $6.99 for a specific six-inch sub or $9.99 for a footlong, all meals include a small drink and two cookies or a bag of chips. Subway is hoping that this pivot will be more successful than its last attempt at a value meal. The sandwich giant learned from past mistakes. A $6.99 meal last year that included any six-inch sub with a drink and cookies or chips ended earlier than planned because of lackluster sales. Their new rotating approach aims to create urgency while giving customers more reasons to visit throughout the week.

Starbucks Strips Down Complexity Under New Leadership

Brian Niccol swapped carnitas for coffee when he stepped down as CEO at Chipotle in August 2024 to turn the 53-year-old coffee brand around after a recent slump. He’s had a busy first year on the job so far, and it looks to continue with the changes Starbucks has planned for 2025. The coffee chain is bringing back old-school simplicity. That’s right, the handwritten name on your cup is coming back, along with several other OG Starbucks touches intended to reinstitute the cozy coffee house vibe. Milk and sugar stations will return, and dine-in customers can enjoy free refills of brewed coffee and tea. Meanwhile, the chain’s restrooms are now reserved exclusively for paying customers. In a nod to its olden days, Starbucks will also strip its menu of drinks and food that are complicated and slow to make (say bye to the likes of the Caramel Ribbon Crunch Creme Frappuccino).

Chick-fil-A Expands Internationally While Innovating

The chicken chain hopes to have a presence in both Europe and Asia by 2025 and a total of five international markets by 2030. Plans were also released late last year for Chick-fil-A restaurants to open in the United Kingdom by early 2025. The beloved chicken chain isn’t just growing internationally. This past March saw the fast-food brand launch its very first mobile pickup restaurant in New York City. They’re also addressing sustainability concerns seriously. Chick-fil-A actually achieved its 2025 goal of diverting 25 million pounds of landfill waste early in 2024. In 2024 it was revealed that they had changed the recipe to their waffle fries to keep them crispier longer. They added pea starch to them and a lot of people met this change with hostility.

Burger King Eliminates Harmful Packaging

After being sued alongside McDonald’s in 2022 for the presence of PFAS in its packaging, Burger King, in accordance with the EPA’s three-year phase-out initiative, announced its dedication to ditching the forever chemicals that traditionally prevented grease build-up on its wrappers by 2025 or sooner. In February 2024, the FDA triumphantly announced that grease-resistant packaging containing PFAS were no longer being sold by suppliers anywhere in the United States market. By the start of 2025, we should all be able to order a Whopper with the confidence that the last of the PFAS-filled packaging is out of the picture. Your wrapper may be greasier, but it won’t be leaching harmful chemicals into your burger – and we’d consider that a trade worth making.

Popeyes Undergoes Major Restaurant Redesigns

Popeyes is refranchising the majority of its roughly 2,800 U.S. locations and redesigning restaurant interiors for a more contemporary guest-facing environment headed into fiscal year 2024. The upgrade will include a revised seating plan and lighting layout, along with the addition of digital kiosks to speed up ordering, thereby making life easier and promoting a more organized flow. The changes aim to eliminate wait times, provide a more comfortable wait space for customers, and provide a smoother overall dining experience. RBI, the parent company of Popeyes, set a target to open 800 new locations across the U.S. and Canada by 2028, increasing the total store count from 3,400 to over 4,200. This expansion strategy also includes entering new international markets such as Italy. Popeyes hopes to increase average franchisee profitability to $300,000 per unit by 2025, up from $245,000 in 2023.

KFC Relocates and Transforms Operations

The move brings the brand closer to Pizza Hut’s headquarters – both chains operate under Yum! Brands – making collaboration and streamlining operations easier. About 100 corporate employees are expected to relocate, with another 90 remote workers making the move in the next 18 months. Choppy consumer demand and growing competition in a crowded category are taking a bite out of KFC’s domestic business. The chain has pulled a few different levers to attract guests, leaning deeper into value promotions, rolling out a steady stream of new menu items, and introducing its first rewards program. But traffic remains a challenge. Chizza may have kicked off 2024, but KFC is switching gears in 2025 with a different kind of menu upgrade – turning its classic sides into full-fledged meals.

Dunkin’ Revamps Breakfast Deal Strategy

Dunkin’ added a new $5 breakfast meal deal. Included in the all-day deal are two breakfast wraps and a 14-ounce hot coffee or 24-ounce iced coffee. However, the change angered some of its fans, since it replaced a $6 meal deal that included a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich; hash browns; and a medium hot or iced coffee. The coffee and donut chain discovered that not all value changes please customers equally. Some people on social media complained that the new meal offers less food for a similar price and are asking the chain to bring back the previous option. Despite the backlash, the company is pushing forward with its new approach to breakfast bundling.

Jack in the Box Returns to Chicago After 40 Years

The city of Chicago may have stunning buildings, beautiful lake views, and deep dish pizzas galore, but one thing it hasn’t had for the last 40 years? A local Jack in the Box. It’s true; Illinois’ largest city has been without the varied fast food chain for the past four decades. But in late 2024 and into 2025, the winds of change are blowing into the windy city. This represents massive geographic expansion. Twelve Jack in the Box locations are expected to be planted over the duration of the coming year – two of these are already open – marking a historic new beginning for both the franchise and craving Chicago residents.

Pizza Hut Responds to Consumer Preference Research

We have to hand it to Pizza Hut: it certainly does its homework when researching what consumers want. The chain, which operates as a buffet-style restaurant as well as a classic pizza delivery and takeout service, has never been afraid of developing new and interesting flavor combinations in response to culinary trends. In 2024, it will continue doing just that. Using survey information regarding pizza preferences across the U.S., which it published via a press release, Pizza Hut has concluded that both sweet and spicy pizzas, as well as thin crust variants, will be amongst its top desired products in 2024. This means that the franchise will maintain its current wide-scale offering of thin crust pizzas in its restaurants. It will also create some brand-new menu products to meet that consumer demand. To that end, starting February 1st, the new Hot Honey Pizza and Hot Honey Wings will go up for grabs at select locations.

These twelve chains prove that the fast-food industry is undergoing its biggest transformation in decades. With approximately $340 billion in revenue in 2023, the fast food industry is responding to consumer demands for healthier options. This shift in preferences is pushing chains to innovate, creating a new generation of menu items that satisfy both convenience-seeking and health-conscious consumers. The quiet changes happening now will shape how we eat fast food for years to come. What changes have you noticed at your go-to spots?