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McDonald's debuts McCrispy Strips. Here's when you can get the new chicken menu item

McDonald's debuts McCrispy Strips. Here's when you can get the new chicken menu item

USA Today25-04-2025
McDonald's debuts McCrispy Strips. Here's when you can get the new chicken menu item 'The demand for chicken strips has been remarkable,' Alyssa Buetikofer, McDonald's chief marketing and customer experience officer, said.
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McDonald's Egg McMuffin marks 50th anniversary
As egg prices surge, McDonald's honors the Egg McMuffin's 50th anniversary by offering discounts and avoiding surcharges.
Scripps News
McDonald's is adding a new chicken dish to its menu – and no, it's not the Snack Wrap just yet.
The fast-food giant is debuting McCrispy Strips, expected to be available by May 5 in participating markets – although some restaurants have them now. The 100% white meat strips, coated with a new black pepper flavored breading, come with a new Creamy Chili Dip, described as "savory, sweet and tangy," McDonald's announced April 24.
Customers want more chicken dishes, said Alyssa Buetikofer, McDonald's chief marketing and customer experience officer, in a news release.
"The demand for chicken strips has been remarkable to see across the industry, so we knew we had to deliver something so craveable that it was worth the wait," she said. "We took our time, listened to our fans, and created a product we knew they would crave. And the best part is we're just getting started.'
The McCrispy Strips are the first new permanent menu item for McDonald's since 2021, when the restaurant chain added the Crispy Chicken Sandwich.
"When we introduce a new menu item like McCrispy Strips, we know we have a big promise to fulfill to meet our customers' expectations,' said Cesar Piña, McDonald's senior vice president and chief supply chain officer, in the release. "We hold ourselves to the highest standard and aim to bring fans nothing less than greatness.'
McDonald's McCrispy Strips: What to know
McDonald's new McCrispy Strips can be ordered in servings of three or four strips. They come with Creamy Chili Dip sauce, but you can opt for other sauces such as Tangy Barbecue, Spicy Buffalo and Creamy Ranch.
While most restaurants will have McCrispy Strips by May 5, some locations have them now. Food blogger Burger Beast posted about purchasing the strips on April 22, calling them "crispy and flavorful."
Burger Beast posted prices of $4.99 for three strips (two sauces) and $5.99 for four strips (two sauces). McDonald's did not divulge prices, as they may vary by location and individual restaurants set prices.
For those waiting for the return of Snack Wraps, they will have to wait at least a few more weeks. The official McDonald's X account hinted at the menu item's return in a post on April 15: "snack wraps 0x.14.2025," suggesting the dish featuring chicken breast meat will arrive before October.
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Contributing: Gabe Hauari
Mike Snider is a reporter on USA TODAY's Trending team. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, X and email him at mikegsnider & @mikegsnider.bsky.social & @mikesnider & msnider@usatoday.com
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From sweet treats to protein boosts, chains are banking on beverages to drive sales
From sweet treats to protein boosts, chains are banking on beverages to drive sales

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timean hour ago

  • CNBC

From sweet treats to protein boosts, chains are banking on beverages to drive sales

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I visited 5 popular fast-food chains with a $10 budget. The differences in value blew me away.
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time5 hours ago

  • Business Insider

I visited 5 popular fast-food chains with a $10 budget. The differences in value blew me away.

I started out with a visit to Shake Shack, where $10 didn't take me very far. I've eaten at Shake Shack before, so I knew ahead of time that I wasn't walking into the most budget-friendly restaurant. However, I was still pretty shocked that $10 only bought me one Chicken Shack sandwich ($9.60). However, the sandwich was very tasty. Although I thought it was pricey, the sandwich was really good. It came on a soft potato bun with lettuce and pickles, but I added tomato, onion, and ShackSauce at no additional charge. The chicken was thick, juicy, and well-seasoned, and overall, it was definitely the largest of the sandwiches I tried. However, I finished my meal still feeling hungry. Did it taste great? Yes. Was it a great value? Not so much. Next, I got a chicken sandwich and fries at Chick-fil-A. Unfortunately, I was underwhelmed by the sandwich from Chick-fil-A. I've been to Chick-fil-A before, but this was actually my first time trying a sandwich from the chain. To be honest, I wish I had a better first impression. Overall, it felt plain and underwhelming, especially for the price. The sandwich was admittedly better when I added the complimentary Chick-fil-A sauce — which tastes similar to a mix of honey mustard and barbecue sauce. For a nearly $10 meal, though, the portion felt small. My next stop was Burger King. Burger King is where things really started to look up for me. I ordered the medium Chicken Jr. meal ($6.50), which came with a sandwich, a medium drink, and a medium side. For my side dish, I chose the "have-sies" option — a mix of onion rings and fries (for the same price as regular fries). I also added pickles and ketchup to the sandwich for no additional charge. Because I had some money left in my budget, I decided to add a second Chicken Jr. sandwich for $2.20. In total, I spent $8.70. I definitely got my money's worth at Burger King. The Chicken Jr. sandwich seemed smaller than the options I'd gotten at the other restaurants, so I'm glad my budget allowed me to get two. The sandwiches and fries were pretty good, and overall, this was the first meal where I felt like I actually got my money's worth. I also thought the sesame-seed bun was a nice touch that helped this sandwich stand out from the pack. Then, I went to McDonald's. McDonald's delivered a solid amount of food for under $10. I opted for the $5 Chicken Meal Deal, which includes a McChicken sandwich, small fries, four nuggets, and a small drink. I had enough left in my budget for an extra McChicken sandwich for $2.80. During my visit, I was also charged a total of $0.60 to add pickles to both sandwiches. All together, I spent $8.40. My meal at McDonald's was just OK. The patty on the McChicken sandwich didn't have much flavor, and I definitely tasted the bun and mayo more than the actual chicken. The fries, however, were salty, thin, and delicious. As always, the chicken nuggets were crispy and flavorful. Overall, I thought this was a decent value meal, but was disappointed that most customizations, aside from ketchup, cost extra. It wasn't the highest-quality food I've ever had, but I appreciated the variety of items I was able to get for under $10. Finally, I stopped at Wendy's. From what I saw, Wendy's seemed like it had the most variety of items available for $10 or less. I went with the crispy chicken BLT Biggie Bag, which includes a chicken sandwich with bacon and cheese, four nuggets, a medium fry, and a medium drink for $6.80. I had enough money left over to get another plain chicken sandwich for $2.50, which I customized with onion, pickles, and ketchup for no extra charge. In total, I spent $9.30 at Wendy's. I felt like I got a great value at this chain. Although it was still pretty basic, the chicken BLT sandwich felt like an upgrade compared to what I'd gotten elsewhere. The patty was the thickest of all the ones I'd tried, and I also thought it was the most flavorful. The nuggets and fries were both solid as well. I'll definitely return to Wendy's for a great meal at a reasonable price. If this experience showed me anything, it's that $10 isn't what it used to be. Shake Shack may have delivered the best-tasting chicken, but in my opinion, value matters more than ever these days. Wendy's truly made me feel like I was getting my money's worth. So, if you're out to eat on a budget, I highly recommend taking a trip to Wendy's.

McDonald's Once Owned These 2 Popular Fast Food Chains
McDonald's Once Owned These 2 Popular Fast Food Chains

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time2 days ago

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McDonald's Once Owned These 2 Popular Fast Food Chains

For a business that's often seen as the gold standard of the fast food world, McDonald's has seen surprisingly little success creating other popular chains. It was big news when the burger restaurant launched its new CosMc's brand back in 2023 because, despite the chain's massive success, it didn't own any other restaurants at the time. Less than two years later, McDonald's has already closed its few CosMc's stores. In this modern chain age, people are used to the idea that chains like Taco Bell and KFC are part of a larger group, but McDonald's stands alone. However, it wasn't always this way. For a brief run in the late '90s and early 2000s, McDonald's was looking to expand its portfolio beyond burgers, and it started with two now-popular chains: Chipotle Mexican Grill and Donatos Pizza. In the late '90s, McDonald's acquired the two chains, buying Donatos in 1999 and investing in Chipotle in 1998. This was part of a larger strategy to expand into other markets, which also included purchasing Boston Market and a stake in the popular sandwich chain Pret A Manger. While it might seem strange now, in the '90s McDonald's was actually kind of flailing. The chain's growth had been slowed by the fact that there just weren't that many places left to open new McDonald's that would be profitable. So, the buying spread that included Chipotle and Donatos was a way to convince investors the company could continue to grow its revenue in other ways. Read more: For Fresh, Not Frozen Fast Food, Try These 12 Popular Chains McDonald's Helped Get A Fledgling Chipotle Off The Ground Chipotle and Donatos were actually in quite different places when each was acquired by McDonald's. Donatos Pizzeria had been founded in Columbus, Ohio, back in 1963 and slowly grew into a major Midwestern pizza spot. When McDonald's bought the brand in 1998, it already had 143 locations. Chipotle, on the other hand, was more of an upstart. Founder Steve Ells had started Chipotle in Denver in 1991, and by '98 it had grown, but to only 16 locations. It was a much less tested brand, and it was McDonald's first ever purchase of an outside concept. It was certainly a gamble. In the end, both chains proved to be mismatches for the burger giant. Chipotle founder Ells was quite protective of the brand and its emphasis on fresh ingredients, rejecting many of the traditional ways McDonald's suggested to expand. Chipotle didn't want to franchise, while McDonald's executives wanted Chipotle to add breakfast and drive-thrus, which Ells also fought against. Still, Chipotle grew like gangbusters with McDonald's investments, expanding to more than 500 locations in less than a decade. In fact, that growth in value actually helped split the companies up. Chipotle remained concerned that it was going to get transformed into a "Mexican McDonald's," and despite the growth, the burrito purveyors were still a small fraction of McDonald's business. It made more sense for McDonald's to cash out and take the profit on its ownership stake, which it did in 2006. Ohio's Donatos Pizzeria Was Never A Match For McDonald's Expansion Plans Despite similar issues in its pairing with McDonald's, Donatos Pizzeria had the opposite experience as Chipotle. Donatos founder Jim Grote had hoped that the partnership would turn his pizza restaurant into a national giant, but his focus on maintaining a high-quality product clashed with McDonald's rapid expansion plans. The burger chain wanted a big return on investment quickly and opened 23 Donatos locations in its first big market expansion in Atlanta. Four years later all those locations had closed. By 2003, McDonald's was worried the focus on expanding other brands was hurting its core business. So, it sold Donatos back to Grote for less money than the chain had originally paid for it. At that point, Donatos had expanded to 182 locations, only a few dozen more than when McDonald's had bought it. Donatos ended up refocusing on what made it unique as a brand, and it now has grown to be one of the most popular pizza chains in the country, with the brand now available at over 450 locations and 179 individual restaurants. The experiments with Chipotle and Donatos show just how important a culture match is when brands buy each other, even when one is as internationally successful as McDonald's. What works for one restaurant chain doesn't automatically work for another, especially when they are targeting different segments of the market. And while it might make other forays into new brands in the future, for now McDonald's has proven to be one of a kind. Read the original article on Tasting Table. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data

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