Donald Trump donned an apron and served food to pre-selected customers at a closed McDonalds in Pennsylvania
McDonald's is serving up a new McValue plan in January that gives customers a "buy-one, add one" option for $1. AFP

Fast food giant McDonald's is doubling down on discounts.

It will serve up a McValue meal in January that promises to give cash-strapped customers more menu choices for their buck.

It will also extend the popular $5 Meal Deal, which includes a choice of a McDouble or McChicken sandwich, small fries, four Chicken McNuggets and a small soft drink, through next summer.

On Jan. 7, the fast food giant will introduce a McValue deal that includes a "buy-one, add-one option" for $1 for breakfast, lunch and dinner, the company said on Friday.

Under the plan, customers who buy one full-priced item from the menu can add another item for $1.

That includes a Sausage McMuffin, Sausage Biscuit, Sausage Burrito or hash browns for breakfast, and six Chicken McNuggets, Double Cheeseburger, McChicken sandwich and small fries for lunch and dinner.

"When it comes to value, we know there's no one-size-fits-all. We've worked closely with our franchisees to create a new platform that will let our customers define value on their own terms," Joe Erlinger, President of McDonald's USA, said.

"From deals on their personal go-to order to universal favorites like the $5 Meal Deal, we're excited to give fans more ways to save every time they visit one of our restaurants," he said.

McDonald's, reeling from an E. coli outbreak in September and October that killed one person and sickened more than 100, is spending $100 million to lure customers back to the Golden Arches.

The bulk of the money, $65 million, will go toward helping the franchises where the food poisonings took place, but $35 million is being dedicated to marketing, including promoting its Chicken McNuggets.

The cases were linked to onions used on Quarter Pounder hamburgers.

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