McDonald’s Brings Back the Dollar Menu After a Five-Year Hiatus

The dollar menu is making a comeback: Starting January 4, McDonald’s will once again begin slinging select menu items for a buck.

The new dollar menu will offer four different menu items for a dollar each: any size soft drink, cheeseburger, McChicken, or sausage burrito. It will also include $2 items (small McCafe coffee drinks, bacon McDouble, sausage McGriddle, two-piece chicken tenders) and a few $3 items (triple cheeseburger, Happy Meals, and sausage McMuffin with egg, plus a new “premium” chicken sandwich known as the Classic Chicken).

McDonald’s began moving away from the dollar menu format in 2013 after first introducing it back in 2002; although it brought customers through the door, it wasn’t particularly profitable anymore. Last year it introduced the McPick $2, which enabled customers to get select items for a buck, but only if they purchased two at a time.

Competitor Taco Bell has seen immense success with its own dollar menu, doubling down on its budget offerings after McDonald’s had largely abandoned the concept. Taco Bell’s “Dollar Cravings” menu rotates, but currently features nearly a dozen items including tacos, quesadillas, and desserts.

McDonald’s finally emerged from a years-long sales slump starting in mid-2015, largely aided by the introduction of all-day breakfast — and clearly it’s hoping that a return to the dollar menu will help drive sales heading into 2018.