Over the coming weeks, as U.S. restaurants announce their quarterly results, a lot of attention will be paid to how well McDonald’s and other fast food companies do with their value meal launches.

Rising menu costs have turned away diners, particularly those from lower-class backgrounds, and McDonald’s, Burger King, and other franchises have been fighting to increase business.

“The focus will be how consumers are responding to that (value and discounts) and more importantly or equally important, how long these discounts will have to go on for to get consumers back,” Peter Saleh, an analyst with BTIG, said.

In recent months, Wendy’s debuted its $3 breakfast bargain, Burger King started selling a $5 “Your Way Meal,” and McDonald’s extended its $5 value meal until August after debuting on June 25.

Even though the promos are still new, some analysts have predicted that whatever benefits they may have would only last a short while.

“Offering value through promotion is only limited to a couple of items such as McDouble or the McChicken sandwich which are not as enticing as a let’s say, a Big Mac or maybe a Whopper Junior from Burger King,” said Danilo Gargiulo, a senior analyst at Bern

Despite the fact that these discounts were just launched at the end of the quarter, businesses have not yet noticed a noticeable increase in visitors.

According to Placer.ai statistics, foot traffic increased 0.4%, 1.6%, and 1.4% at McDonald’s, Burger King, and Wendy’s, respectively, between April and June.

When McDonald’s releases its earnings on Monday, it is anticipated to show a decline in profit for the first time in six quarters and a slower rate of increase in same-store sales compared to the previous three months.

Reduced sales of refined goods and petrol contributed to the company’s worse-than-expected performance.

Restaurant Brands, the company that owns Burger King, and Wendy’s, which is set to report next week, are projected to witness a slowdown in same-store sales compared to the previous year.

“The problem in the broader sector right now, is that despite a lot being thrown at consumers, it doesn’t seem to be catalysing demand that has been in a rut,” Morgan Stanley analyst Brian Harbour wrote in a note.

(Adapted from Reuters.com)