Okay, people, so what do you think of McDonald’s’ McCrispy Strips?
“Hey @McDonalds please stop hyping up your much delayed chicken snack wraps with your new McCrispy strips that have the texture of octopus and the flavor of a tire on a dirt road,” one person said on X.
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“You’ll never be @Popeyes because they beat you to it, and these were delicious. Give up now, clown.”
All right, all right, don’t sugarcoat it. Tell us how you really McFeel.
“Yes,” another poster said. “One bite of this clump of hard rubber was enough for me.”
“to me they were awful. rubbery and not crispy at all. super chewy and no flavor :/,” another person declared on Reddit.
“They’re spongy and soggy,” yet another complained. “Never again.”
Okay, so we’re getting a social-media vibe now. And more important, an investment firm is getting a negative buzz as well.
McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski says company remained cautious about the overall health of the consumer.
Shutterstock / Chicago Tribune / Getty Images
McDonald’s CEO expects challenging year
Now, to be fair, some people had nice things to say about McCrispy Strips, especially when they’re paired with the new creamy chili dip. And many customers liked MCD’s use of 100% white meat.
“McDonald’s promised that the strips are made with ‘juicy, 100% white meat’ and they weren’t lying,” Leah Groth wrote in on April 30.
“McDonald’s promised that the strips are made with ‘juicy, 100% white meat’ and they weren’t lying,” Leah Groth wrote in Eat This Not That on April 30.
“While the uber-popular McNugget is made from ground chicken meat and shaped into a dippable form, the McCrispy is an actual strip of whole chicken meat, putting McDonald’s on the shortlist of fast-food chains that use real chicken for their tenders,” she added.
Groth called the McCrispy tasty and spicy without the help of a dip, but she added that the creamy chili dip “seriously elevated the taste to next-level status.”
McDonald’s (MCD) unveiled McCrispy Strips in April, and on May 5 they became available at all participating restaurants nationwide. The move marked the first time since 2021 that the fast-food giant introduced a permanent menu item in the U.S.
Chairman and CEO Chris Kempczinski told analysts during the first-quarter-earnings call in May that the launch of McCrispy Chicken Strips should contribute to growth. But he warned that “we remain cautious about the overall health of the consumer.
Related: McDonald’s CEO sounds alarm on major customer problem
“We entered 2025 knowing that it would be a challenging time for the [quick-service-restaurant] industry, due to macroeconomic uncertainty and pressures weighing on the consumer.
“During the first quarter, geopolitical tensions added to the economic uncertainty and dampened consumer sentiment more than we expected.”
Loop Capital cuts MCD rating and price target
While the Chicago company narrowly beat Wall Street’s earnings expectations for the quarter, revenue fell short and U.S. same-store sales shrank 3.6%, the worst showing since the 8.7% tumble of Q2 2020 and the Covid pandemic lockdown.
McDonald’s shares are up 6.3% in 2025 and up 18% from a year ago.
“The key for us now for the balance of the year is about execution,” Kempczinski said. “And in an environment where there is a pressured consumer, you’ve got to simply outexecute your competitors.
“And that means you’ve got to outexecute them on your value programs, you’ve got to outexecute them when it comes to marketing and menu innovation.”
Kempczinski talked about a halo benefit from the McCrispy to set up the reintroduction of the Snack Wrap, which is slated to return to McDonald’s menus on July 10.
But Loop Capital analyst Alton Stump wasn’t so sure and downgraded McDonald’s to hold from buy and cutting his price target to $315 from $346.
Related: Popular chicken chain launches its version of McDonald’s wraps
The analyst said on June 6 that he had “growing concerns” that McDonald’s’ domestic comparison growth profile would not rebound as much as expected over the remainder of 2025.
Customer feedback about the chicken strips has to date been predominantly negative, he said. That does not bode well ahead of McDonald’s pending Snack Wrap introduction, which will include the new chicken strip, he said.
Stump said he’d based his prior positive view of the shares on the company’s ability to rejuvenate U.S. same-store sales via these two new products.
McDonald’s did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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