Hungry? Score the Best Value Meal Deals at These Chains

Fast food restaurants have been quietly axing dollar menus over the past few years in favor of meal deals. You pay more, but get multiple items at a discount from the regular menu price. Family-friendly restaurant chains, too, are cutting back on coupons and specials.

But there are still great offers to be had, whether you're going to the drive-thru, ordering pizza delivery, or heading out for burgers with the family. Here are some of the value meal deals to take advantage of at your favorite chains. Just remember that many are offered for only a limited time.

Are we missing good deals? Let us know in the comments.   

Prices and availability are subject to change and may vary by location.

Though fans of Taco Bell are upset about recent menu reductions, you can still grab some cheap meal deals, even late at night. 

Value Meal Deals

• $6.29 Build Your Own Cravings Box
  
• $5 Classic Combo
• $5.49 Bell Breakfast Box
• $6.19 Breakfast Crunchwrap Combo
  
• $7.39 Three Crunchy Tacos Combo
  
• $7.39 Three Soft Tacos Combo
• $8.39 Crunchwrap Supreme Combo
• $13 Meal for Two

The golden arches logo of the largest chain in the country are just as iconic as its Big Mac and Happy Meals.

Value Meal Deals

• $5.09 Triple cheeseburger meal

• $6.78 Bacon McDouble meal

• $7.28 McCrispy meal

• $15 for 40 McNuggets and two large fries meal for two
  

Square burger patties? You bet. But Wendy's is better known for its spicy chicken sandwiches and nuggets now, not to mention a cult following for chili and Frostys.

Value Meal Deals

• $5 Double Stack Biggie Bag
  
• $5 Crispy chicken Biggie Bag
• $6 Bacon Double Stack Biggie Bag
• $5 Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger Biggie Bag
• $6 Crispy Chicken BLT Biggie Bag
• Jr. Cheeseburger Four for $4 Meal

Related: We Tasted All 9 Wendy's Breakfast Sandwiches and This Is the Best

The home of the Whopper always has meal deals available, and they change often; navigate to the "Offers" section of the BK website or app to see what's good.

Value Meal Deals

• $7 Mix n' Match sandwiches
  

• $7 Royal Crispy Chicken meal

• $7.49 small Whopper meal
  

• $7 double Whopper and small fries

• $7 two Whopper Jr. and two small fries
• $7 Snack Box

• Two for $12 Mix 'n Match Meals with two sandwiches, two sides, and two drinks 

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Among the big pizza chains, Domino's has some of the best long-running deals.

Value Meal Deals

• $7 Mix and Match Deal with options of: a medium two-topping pizza, Bread Twists, salad, Marbled Cookie Brownie, specialty chicken dishes, oven-baked sandwiches, Stuffed Cheesy Bread, boneless chicken, or Pasta in a Dish
  
• $8 Carryout Deal: All one-topping large pizzas, 8-piece wings, or Dips and Twists
  

Related: Best Cheap Pizza: Deals and Price Comparison

Though the 11 herbs and spices in the seasoning are still a mystery, it's no secret that KFC is one of the go-to fast food restaurants for fried chicken.

Value Meal Deals

• $5 Mac and cheese bowl

• $7 Chicken Little combo
  

• $8 Three-piece tenders combo
• $8 Two-piece chicken combo
• $8.49 Chicken sandwich combo

Related: Fast Food Deals to Feed the Whole Family

The things that make Papa Johns' pizza so good are the extras you get in the box: creamy garlic sauce for dipping the crust, and tangy pepperoncini peppers.

Value Meal Deals

• $7 Papa Pairings special: order two or more Papadias, one-topping medium pizzas, breadsticks, garlic knots, chicken poppers, wings, or desserts

• $7.49 Papadia and soda

• $17 large two-topping pizza and garlic knots or 2-liter soda
  

• $24 Papa's Trio with three medium 3-topping pizzas 

Popeyes created a phenomenon when it released its chicken sandwich, but the restaurant's classic fried chicken pieces are still the star of the show.

Value Meal Deals

• $7 Three-piece tenders combo
  

• $11 Two-Can-Dine with six tenders

• $11 Signature Chicken Two-Can-Dine with five pieces of chicken 

Detroit's Little Caesars is well known nationwide for selling inexpensive pizza that's always hot and ready to be picked up.

Value Meal Deals

• $6 Lunch combo

• $6 Classic cheese, pepperoni, or sausage pizza

• $6 Slices-n-Stix pizza
• $7 Extra Most Bestest cheese, pepperoni, or sausage pizza
• $9 Deep! Deep! Dish cheese or pepperoni pizza
  
• $10 Pretzel crust bundle

Panera has made a name for itself with fresh breads and bakery items, sandwiches, coffee shop beverages, and great soups.

Value Meal Deals

• $8 Value Duet with grilled cheese and creamy tomato soup

• $8 Value Duet with half tuna sandwich and creamy tomato soup

• $8 Value Duet with Caesar salad and chicken noodle soup

• $8 Value Duet with Greek salad and creamy tomato soup

Related: Secret Menu Items at Your Favorite Family Restaurants

Probably America's favorite Italian chain, Olive Garden has been dishing up pastas, salad, and those famous breadsticks for decades.

Value Meal Deals

• $9 Lunch Favorites Monday through Friday before 3 p.m.: soup, salad, and breadsticks
  
• $10 Lunch Favorites Monday through Friday before 3 p.m.: fettuccine Alfredo, spaghetti, eggplant parmesan, cheese ravioli, and five-cheese ziti al forno
• $11 Lunch Favorites Monday through Friday before 3 p.m.: spaghetti and meatballs, chicken Parmigiana, shrimp scampi, and lasagna

One of the most popular sit-down chains, Applebee's is well known for inexpensive deals such as $1 cocktails and late-night appetizer specials.

Value Meal Deal

• $25 for two select entrees and one select appetizer

Tex-Mex is king at this casual sit-down chain with a chili pepper in its logo. Chips and salsa, queso dip, and barbecue ribs are favorite menu items.

Value Meal Deals

• $10 Lunch combos 
  
• $11 Three for Me meal include a nonalcoholic beverage, select entree, and select appetizer

Dairy Queen isn't just for soft serve and Blizzards, especially in rural areas where there's a DQ in practically every town.

Value Meal Deals

• Two for $5 original cheeseburger, small sundae, pretzel sticks, regular fries, chili dog, or soft drink
  
• $7 Cheeseburger Meal Deal
• $7 three-piece chicken strip Meal Deal

Found mostly in the western United States, Del Taco is another reliable bet for cheap, fast Mexican eats.

Value Meal Deals

• $1.69 Three Value Tacos on Tuesdays from 3 to 11 p.m.
  
• $2.69 Three Grilled Chicken Tacos Thursdays from 3 to 11 p.m.
• $5 Del's Deals meal with snack tacos, grilled chicken taco, crispy chicken taco, or bean and cheese burrito

Almost everyone has celebrated a special event at Red Lobster, a seafood chain that's as good for families as it is for date night.

Value Meal Deals

• $22 Ultimate Endless Shrimp on Mondays
  
• $16 Lobster and shrimp tacos on Tuesdays
• $25 Steak and lobster on Wednesdays
• $15 Walt's Favorite Shrimp and soft drink on Thursdays
• $14 Fish fry on Fridays

Which one of these two names you'll see on the sign depends on which part of the country you're in, but whether it's known as Hardee's or Carl's Jr., this chain is known for decadent and hearty breakfasts and burgers.

Value Meal Deal

• 2 for $5 Mix and Match breakfast deal

• $4 breakfast platter with sausage

• $6 Star Deal Combo with double cheeseburger, ham and cheese, or 3-piece chicken tenders

BJ's gets its Brewhouse moniker from the microbreweries at some locations, but every location of this casual sit-down chain has a menu of pizza and homestyle favorites.

Value Meal Deals

• Half-off pizzas on Mondays
  
• $4 Pizookies on Tuesdays
• $11 Loaded Burgers on Wednesdays
  
• $17.50 Slow-Roasted Specials on Thursdays
  
• $13 lunch specials
• $34 prime rib special on weekends

Found mainly in the Southwest, El Pollo Loco is the place to indulge in Mexican favorites based around savory grilled chicken, including grilled chicken breasts.

Value Meal Deals

• $5 Pollo Bowls
• $6 Classic Chicken Burrito Combo
  
• $6 Chicken Tacos al Carbon Combo
  
• $6 Original Pollo Bowl Combo
  
• $6 Chicken Nachos Combo
  

Dating all the way back to 1948, Bob Evans serves up hearty comfort food in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic in a country living-themed atmosphere. 

Value Meal Deals

• $6 Lunch pick two combo
• $8 Dinner Bell Plates
  

Cooking up sliders since 1921, White Castle is often credited as the first fast food burger chain. Now it can be found in 13 states, mostly in the Midwest.

Value Meal Deals

• $8 Original Slider Combo
  
• $8 Chicken Ring Sandwich Combo
  
• $9 Cheesy 10 Sack

Named after the football huddle, Huddle House is a 24-hour family restaurant that was founded in the 1960s and is concentrated in the Southeast.

Value Meal Deals

• $6 BLT Down Home Combo
  
• $6 Strawberry-topped Waffle Combo
• $6 Western Grits Combo Bowl
  
• $6 Chicken Tenders Toaster Combo
• $6 Cheeseburger Combo
• $6 Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Biscuit Combo
• $6 Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Melt with Grits Combo
• $6 Hashbrowns All the Way and Two Eggs Combo

Spaghetti, lasagna, and garlic breadsticks are crowd-pleasers, so it's no surprise this Italian restaurant chain is a hit with families.

Value Meal Deals

• $7 Lunch special with 3 items and a drink

Best known for its outlandish slogans, commercials, and having "all the meat," Arby's satisfies its customers with roast beef, curly fries, and fresh deli sandwiches.

Value Meal Deal

• Two for $7 everyday value menu 

Biscuit and fried chicken lovers adore this Southern fast-food chain that serves breakfast all day. You can add a swipe of creamy pimento cheese to any biscuit — and you should.

Value Meal Deals

• 2 for $5 country ham biscuits
• $5 sausage biscuit combo
  
• $6 country ham biscuit combo
• $5.79 sausage and egg biscuit combo
• $5.59 Southern gravy biscuit combo
  
• $6 steak biscuit combo

With about 600 locations, mostly in the Southern states, Zaxby's has carved a niche out of the fried chicken market, selling only tenders (sometimes in sandwiches) and wings. 

Value Meal Deals

• $8 Signature sandwich combo
• $7.69 Kickin' chicken sandwich combo
• $7.59 Grilled chicken sandwich combo
• $8 Big Zax Snak meal
• $8.59 eight boneless wings meal

Customers love the bowls of comforting noodles from Noodles & Company, whether they're Asian, American, Italian, or even made from zucchini.

Value Meal Deals

• $8 Wisconsin mac and cheese
• $8 Japanese pan noodles
• $8 pesto cavatappi
• $8 Med salad
• $8 pasta fresca
• $8 spaghetti with marinara
• $8 buttered noodles

Find more Cheapism stories about fast food right here.