McDonald's (NYSE:MCD) hopes $1 breakfasts will rouse folks out of bed and into its fast-food joints.

The Wall Street Journal reported that McDonald’s will expand its $1 value menu to include some appetizing breakfast items such as sausage sandwiches, 12-ounce coffees (look out, Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX)!), and hash browns. 

Value offerings are no joke these days. McDonald’s November comps disturbed some folks, and part of the story was that Burger King (NYSE:BKC) and Yum! Brands’ (NYSE:YUM) Taco Bell were cutting prices to make some headway as consumers tightened their grips on wallets.  

Sadly enough, there’s an unpleasant economic reality here, too: High unemployment means fewer people seeking early-morning breakfasts on the run.

Are $1 breakfast items a reason to get jazzed about McDonald’s, or pull the covers over one’s head and go back to sleep? What about those profit margins? Use the comment box below to chime in.