McDonald’s App Users Can Take Advantage of Exclusive Deals
World Wrestling Entertainment megastar-actor John Cena, who calls himself a “lifelong fan” of McDonald’s, will promote the brand’s McValue menu, which debuted nationwide on Jan 7. The budget-focused menu, with breakfast-through-supper options, appeals with $5 meals and add-ons for just $1 more.
McValue also will feature many app-only specials such as free medium fries with a $1 purchase every Friday throughout 2025 and a free McCrispy chicken sandwich for new app users. In addition, franchisees will offer their own local food and beverage specials. The McValue push comes as McDonald’s attempts to jump-start business after months of sluggish sales. Consumers have been alienated by McDonald’s steadily rising menu prices, which have cimbed an average of 40% since 2019, CNN reports.
Longtime McDonald’s Customer
Cena maintained in People magazine that his enthusiasm for the brand is undiminished. “McDonald\’s is a global phenomenon, a slice of Americana, and certainly has been a major part of my life with food ever since I can remember anything about food.”
He has his favorite menu items down pat. “I am such a creature of habit,” Cena told People. For breakfast, he goes for a McGriddle or an Egg McMuffin plus hash browns, which happen to be a $1 add-on with McValue. Parade magazine quotes him as saying, “My go-to has been solidified since my traveling days for WWE, and it\’s two double cheeseburgers and two six-piece chicken McNuggets. That is the tried-and-true for me, all day every day.”
That’s it, no sauce with the chicken and usually no beverage. “I am an every-second-counts sort of guy, and I don\’t do any sauce with the McNuggets,” he said in Parade. And in a postscript in the People article, Cena said, “I tend not to do any drinks, because I just want to enjoy the savoriness…”
Cena’s Childhood Memories
During his growing-up years in Massachusetts, he enjoyed McDonald’s PlayPlaces and Happy Meals, according to People. “I\’ve had such a journey with McDonald\’s over the almost 48 years I\’ve been on earth. Anything on their menu can evoke a certain range of emotions, and they\’re all good ones.” He and his four brothers would do “Happy Meal swaps and toy swaps, and there was a phase where Happy Meals came with, like, Transformers that started out as a McDonald\’s shake, and then transformed into a robot, started out as a burger and then transformed into a robot,” he told the magazine.
Cena, who plans to retire from the ring after this year, says that for him, the Big Mac conjures the strongest McDonald’s nostalgia. “Man, tasting that Big Mac was something special,” he told People. “I think because as a kid, I always thought it to be an insurmountable sandwich, and then I guess as a teenager being able to lean into be big enough to order the Big Mac.”
The Ideal Celebrity Pitchman?
Franchise brands often hire celebrities such as Cena to spotlight their marketing campaigns. Known for his work ethic, discipline and philanthropy, he may be just the right guy to woo the everyman and everywoman to frequent McDonald’s. “I always talk about \’earning my sunset\’ and there\’s nothing like heading to McDonald\’s after completely crushing your day,” Cena said in an ABC News report. And he’s a natural in this 30-second, near-meditative clip and a longer ad on MarketingDive.com.
Cena’s McValue ambassadorship also will include posts on various social media platforms. But he isn’t flying solo as a McValue enticement. “Good Morning America” reports that through the early part of 2025, McDonald’s has teamed up with 16 brands to offer special deals such as a free month of YouTube TV and 20 minutes of free Wi-Fi on American Airlines.
Restaurants Struggle
“McDonald’s really sees opportunity in doubling down in its focus on budget-oriented consumers,” David Henkes of the food industry research firm Technomic commented to CNN. He also noted that “restaurant traffic remains challenged” and “value will continue to be important to the consumer for the foreseeable future.” As McDonald’s and many restaurant franchises have battled post-pandemic inflation and consumer thrift, they introduced value-centric menus starting in midyear 2024. Some, such as Chili’s, struck gold (per The Washington Post), while others have come and gone with limited impact.
