Sonic Drive-In enters fast-food value meal wars with $1.99 menu to lure in inflation-rocked customers

Published

1 year ago

July 2, 2024

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Sonic Drive-In said Monday it will be launching a value menu — joining rivals McDonalds, Burger King and Taco Bell in an industrywide bid to lure back inflation-battered customers.

The 71-year-old burger chain — owned by Inspire Brands, which also operates Arbys, Baskin Robbins, Buffalo Wild Wings and Dunkin will offer burgers, snacks, desserts and brand-new wraps on a permanent Fun.99 menu whose items cost $1.99 each.

The value menu will include a quarter-pound double cheeseburger, Chili Cheese Coney hot dog, tater tots and all 12 of the Sonic Shake flavors in a 16 oz. cup.

The $1.99 menu will also introduce two new items: a bacon ranch queso wrap and a southwest crunch queso wrap.

Now more than ever, guests are focused on affordable food options, CMO Ryan Dickerson said in a statement. At SONIC, we wanted to do something different something fun so we focused on variety.

The Oklahoma-based fast-food chain also offers discounts to app users, like half-price cheeseburgers on Tuesday nights.

Sonic said its value menu is here to stay.

McDonalds, Burger King and Taco Bell have all recently introduced temporary value deals McDonalds and Burger King each introduced a $5 meal deal last month, while Taco Bell launched a $7 Luxe Cravings Box.

McDonald’s — which came under fire after some locations were charging as much as $18 for a Big Mac meal and $7.29 for an Egg McMuffin — also offers Free Fries Friday, a free medium fry with a $1 minimum purchase on Fridays, through the end of the year.

In April, McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski admitted on an earnings call that it is clear that broad-based consumer pressures persist around the world.

Consumers continue[d] to be even more discriminating with every dollar that they spend as they faced elevated prices in their day-to-day spending, he added.

The value meal war is a result of customer cutbacks as inflation persists and food prices rise.

In February, around a quarter of low-income consumers, or those earning less than $50,000 per year, said they were eating less fast food and around half said they were making fewer trips to restaurants, according to polling by consulting firm Revenue Management Solutions.

Quick-service restaurant traffic was down 2.1% in May as compared to the same time last year, according to Revenue Management Solutions. Meanwhile, the average price at quick-service restaurants was up 3% in May compared to the same period last year, according to the firm.

Burger King and Taco Bell did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Business

Trump’s tariffs are back – here’s who is in his sights this time

Published

3 hours ago

August 1, 2025

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'A BIG DAY FOR AMERICA!!!' - Trump's tariffs are back, and will affect dozens of countries

It is “Liberation Day” III – the third tariff deadline set by Donald Trump.

Countries without bilateral trade agreements will soon face reciprocal tariffs – ranging from 25% to 50% – with a baseline of 15% to 20% for any not making a deal.

He has delayed twice, from April to July and from July to August, but hammered this date home in his trademark caps-on style: “THE AUGUST FIRST DEADLINE STANDS STRONG, AND WILL NOT BE EXTENDED. A BIG DAY FOR AMERICA!!!”

“Will not be extended” for anyone but Mexico, it seems. The country secured a 90-day extension at the last minute, with Mr Trump citing the “complexities” of the border.

By close of business on the eve of deadline, he had a handful of framework deals – some significant – including the UK (10%), the EU, Japan and South Korea (15%), Indonesia and the Philippines (19%), Vietnam (20%).

On the EU agreement, which he struck in Scotland, the president said: “It’s a very powerful deal, it’s a big deal, it’s the biggest of all the deals.”

But what happened to the “90 deals in 90 days” touted by the White House earlier this year?

The short answer is they were replaced by letters of instruction to pay a tariff set by the US.

Amid of flurry of late activity, the US played hardball with major trading partners like Canada.

“For the rest of the world, we’re going to have things done by Friday,” said US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick – the “rest of the world” meaning everyone but China.

There is, apparently, the “framework of a deal” between the world’s two largest economies, but talks between Washington and Beijing are continuing.

In terms of wins, he can claim some significant deals and point to his tariffs having generated an impressive $27bn (£20.4bn) in June, not bad for a single month.

But the legality of the approach is under siege – with the US Court of International Trade ruling that the “Liberation Day” tariffs exceeded the president’s authority, with enforcement paused pending appeal.

The deadline has stirred the pot, forcing a handful of deals onto the table. Whether they stick or survive legal scrutiny is far from settled.

But the playbook remains the same – threaten the world with trade chaos, whittle it down, celebrate the wins, and pray no one checks what’s legal.

Politics

Michael Saylor joins chorus for clarity as US works to legally define crypto

Published

4 hours ago

August 1, 2025

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Michael Saylor joins chorus for clarity as US works to legally define crypto

Strategy’s Michael Saylor wants the US government to clearly define digital securities and commodities, as well as state when it is allowable to tokenize securities.

Entertainment

Flintoff praises NHS staff who treated him after crash, as doctor says his injuries were ‘among most complex’ he’s ever seen

Published

5 hours ago

August 1, 2025

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Flintoff praises NHS staff who treated him after crash, as doctor says his injuries were 'among most complex' he's ever seen

Andrew Flintoff has praised the “love and compassion” of “superhero” staff in a visit to the hospital that treated him after his crash.

The cricket legend was seriously injured during the incident on the Top Gear track in Surrey in December 2022.

He was airlifted to St George’s in Tooting, with a surgeon calling Flintoff’s injuries some of the most complex he’s seen.

“I just want to say a massive thank you to all the staff at St George’s,” Flintoff said, as he returned to the London hospital.

“I came here probably the lowest I’ve ever been, in need of help and the expertise, the love, the compassion they showed me was incredible.

“I’ll be eternally grateful – absolute superheroes.”

Jahrad Haq, a maxillofacial surgeon, said he knew immediately the case was something out of the ordinary.

“I was on call that day and received a phone call from the emergency department consultant,” said Mr Haq.

“A lot of injuries are managed at a more junior level before escalating, so I knew this one was serious.

“Of all the trauma cases I’ve seen in over 20 years, this was among the most complex.”

Flintoff was also pictured on his visit meeting lead dental nurse Linda Holden and principal orthodontic nurse Sonia Steer.

Shamim Umarji, who also treated the 47-year-old, said it was “wonderful to see Freddie again and his visit gave staff a real boost”.

“He spent a lot of time chatting to everyone and it meant a lot,” added the trauma and orthopaedic surgeon.

Flintoff previously described how he thought he had died in the accident – which saw him “pulled face-down on the runway” for about 50m under a three-wheel car.

The incident led to the BBC pulling the plug on Top Gear and it remains unclear if it will ever return.