The “secret” menu items that fans have been ordering for years are now officially on the menu.
We all know the fast-food customers who, despite the long line behind them, want their burger with the pickles on the side and the bun swapped out — but, this time, McDonald’s (MCD) – Get McDonald’s Corporation Report is taking some popular modifications and adding them to its actual menu.
Dubbed the McDonald’s ‘Menu Hacks,’ the four sandwiches have been inspired by fan creations that have become known as “secret menus” — a community of people who claim to “hack” fast food menus by swapping out and combining different items has found a steady online base over the years.
“Sometimes I’m craving the flaky crunch of a Filet-O-Fish, sometimes I want the juiciness of a Double Cheeseburger, and sometimes I want both,” TikTok user PJ Mattingly (@heavyhands94) wrote about the Surf + Turf. “So why choose?”
McDonald’s
The McWhat Now?
Along with the above-mentioned Surf + Turf (a sandwich with both the Filet-O-Fish and Cheeseburger patties), McDonald’s is rolling out the Hash Brown McMuffin (a McMuffin with the chain’s hashbrown in between the egg and sausage) and the Crunchy Double (chicken nuggets over a burger).
The Land, Air & Sea is there for the most hungry and indecisive among us — a McChicken, a Big Mac, and a Filet-O-Fish are stacked on top of each other in one artery-clogging sandwich.
The items, which will be packaged as individual sandwiches to put together yourself, will be available on the McDonald’s app or at participating locations starting from Jan. 31. While the exact end date has not been specified, this is meant as a limited-time promotion.
“This campaign shows that it has never been ‘our menu’ – the menu belongs to our fans,” Jennifer Healan, McDonald’s vice president of marketing, brand content and engagement, said in a statement.
Will This Give McDonald’s A Leg Up?
Once known for their unchanging menus, the “big three” of fast-food burger chains (McDonald’s, Burger King (QSR) – Get Restaurant Brands International Inc Report, and Wendy’s (WEN) – Get Wendy’s Company Report have recently been on a mission to spruce up their offerings.
McDonald’s, which is only now starting to roll out the McPlant in select U.S. restaurants, is years behind the meat-free burger that Burger King launched in 2016. Wendy’s is currently testing new versions of its Frostees with Oreo cookies and Lucky Charms cereal while, long known for vastly different menu options across the globe, McDonald’s has a new Japanese Curry Salmon sandwich in Malaysia and a Chicken Big Mac in the UK.
But while time will tell whether the new menu items will be a hit or another weird experiment, they are already managing to cause quite a stir among online fans.
“I understand the appeal of the McGriddle, but nothing brings me more serotonin than a sausage egg McMuffin with half my hash brown on the sandwich,” Twitter Nathan Earle wrote of the announcement.
