After nearly eight and a half decades of being America’s favorite fast-food chain, McDonald’s has been struggling with a slowdown in sales amid an E. coli outbreak that caused a massive recall of one of its most popular menu items.
The company has also been receiving continuous backlash and boycotts due to its price increases, recent changes in its DEI practices, and various other societal issues.
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According to McDonald’s fourth-quarter earnings report for fiscal 2024, global comparable sales increased 0.4% compared to the year prior.
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However, comparable sales in the U.S. were down 1.4%, the biggest sales drop in nearly five years, which is concerning since the U.S. used to be among the fast-food giant’s most profitable markets.
The fast-food giant has desperately been looking for ways to get back into the hearts of its U.S. customers like it once was. After months of brainstorming, McDonald’s made a surprising announcement that its fans have been waiting to hear for nearly a decade.
A chicken snack wrap combo meal is seen at a McDonald’s restaurant in New York.
McDonald’s prioritizes its chicken-based menu items due to customers’ demand
The McDonald’s Snack Wrap was first introduced nationwide in 2006 and became one of the most beloved items by customers. However, after employees expressed how complicated the menu item was to make, causing longer wait times on orders, the company ultimately decided to discontinue it in 2016 since it was starting to become a time-consuming and financial burden on the fast-food chain.
After multiple years of customers pleading for McDonald’s to bring this fan-favorite food item back, it was later returned to select locations across the U.S. for a limited time in 2020.
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Although incredibly popular among consumers, the Snack Wrap ultimately disappeared from the McDonald’s menu once again by the end of that year and has not been seen since—until now.
In 2023, as chicken-focused fast-food chains such as Raising Cane’s and Chick-fil-A gained traction in the industry, McDonald’s announced that it would shift its focus to chicken-based menu items and teased the possible return of the infamous Snack Wrap.
The following year, the fast-food giant began testing the McCrispy Chicken Strips at select locations in North Carolina. It also expanded its McCrispy Chicken menu line, fulfilling its promise to increase its focus on chicken offerings.
McDonald’s announces the return of a fan-favorite chicken menu item
During its latest earnings call on Monday, McDonald’s (MCD) announced it will return the popular Snack Wrap to its menu along with other Chicken-focused offerings.
“We’re excited about the significant opportunity we see within our chicken portfolio and see the potential to add another point of chicken market share by the end of 2026,” said McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski. “This year, there is incredible energy for the return of Snack Wraps in the U.S., along with a few other markets,” he added.
The fast-food giant also announced that it will continue to roll out the McCrispy, which is now in over 70 markets, to make it available in nearly all markets by the end of 2025.
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In addition to returning the Snack Wraps, McDonald’s is relaunching McCrispy Chicken Strips, a key ingredient in the Snack Wrap, and will continue offering the Chicken Big Mac as a limited-time offering.
Although the company didn’t specify when McDonald’s will officially add the Snack Wrap and McCrispy Chicken Strips, they will be available at most McDonald’s U.S. locations by the end of 2026.
The company also teased plans to launch the Snack Wrap and McCrispy Chicken Strips in other markets besides the U.S., but it didn’t reveal which international locations will add the chicken items to their menu.
However, McDonald’s did say that in 2024, the Chicken Big Mac helped grow chicken market share in France and the U.S., making France a potential international market for chicken items as they have proven profitable.
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