Summer's fast food wars hit their flow as McDonald's vs. Popeyes wrap battle heats up
McDonald's on Thursday relaunched its popular Snack Wrap menu items, bringing its spicy and ranch-flavored crispy chicken offerings back after nearly a decade away. The Snack Wraps, which were phased out in 2016, have been brought back at the $2.99 price point.
Corresponding with the McDonald's Snack Wrap relaunch, fried chicken chain Popeyes is running a promotion for its own chicken wrap this weekend. It's offering a free chicken wrap, usually priced starting at $3.99, with any purchase of $5 or more until July 13. Popeyes launched its wrap menu in June.
Spokespeople for both fast food chains declined to comment on the competition between their chicken wrap offerings.
It's not the first time fast food chains have clashed over similar offerings and new menu items. Popeyes made headlines in 2019 when it launched its fried chicken sandwich and with it, the "Chicken Sandwich Wars." The "Burger Wars" have been brewing for decades between chains like McDonald's, Wendy's, and Burger King, with each chain bragging about the differences in its patty size, ingredients, and preparation methods.
But this year, the battle appears to be on a smaller scale, in both portion size and price point. Both Popeyes and McDonald's wraps are positioned as menu offerings under $4, and most flavor variations contain fewer than 500 calories.
A growing chicken snack trend
Analysts told Business Insider that consumers' increasing snack habits and the rise of GLP-1s (not to mention consumers pulling back on discretionary spending amid rising inflation) may be driving the summer's chicken wrap trend.
"According to our research, customers from all generational cohorts say that they are increasingly likely to replace traditional meals with snack items during the day," Vanessa Sink, the senior director of media relations for the National Restaurant Association, told Business Insider. "72% of millennials and 70% of Gen Z lead the way, but Gen X and baby boomers are also leaning toward snacking."
Jim Sanderson, a managing director and research analyst at Northcoast Research, told BI he believes the low price point of these new menu offerings is likely an effort to drive returning traffic and increase the average check size as an "add-on" since the wraps' price "is lower than most burgers and sandwiches."
Research published in May by McKinsey showed that 43% of consumers reported that their top concern these days is rising prices, followed by uncertain tariff policies (29%), outpacing anxiety over immigration and job security. And a full 60% of consumers had either changed or planned to change their spending habits in response to President Donald Trump's tariff announcements — even if the tariffs' full effects have yet to hit store shelves.
Matthew Barry, Euromonitor International's Global Insight Manager of Food, Cooking and Meals, told Business Insider that chicken snacks in particular are having a moment, as consumers shift away from plant-based proteins and turn toward "natural" — i.e., animal-based — protein sources.
"It's not like lamb's ever gonna get that big in the United States," Barry said. "So chicken really fits in this nice spot, where it's comprised of animal protein in kind of an affordable way."
The Ozempic effect
Sanderson said another element to consider in the chicken wrap wars is how weight-loss drugs like GLP-1s are shaping consumer behavior.
While exact statistics on how these drugs are changing the market remain unclear, analysts have posited that the snack category could end up benefiting from wider GLP-1 usage. Given the increasing prevalence of the drugs, Sanderson said, "consumers may be more interested in smaller portions, which these wraps could fulfill."
Barry told BI the rising use of GLP-1s likely has some impact on how consumers are choosing their snacks, but that is just one factor contributing to the broader "snackification" of the food industry, wherein more of our overall calorie intake comes from snacks.
"A lot of things are kind of shrinking down and blurring the line between the meal and the snack, and the Snack Wraps are in that space," Barry said. "GLP-1s are part of that trend, too, but there's also a lot of other elements at play: smaller households, economization, experiential desire, and, you know, on-the-go lifestyles, all sorts of things."
Putting it in TikTok terms, we're watching the continued rise of Girl Dinner — and McDonald's and Popeyes want to be part of it.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNBC
4 hours ago
- CNBC
From dumpling-making to pub quizzes: Gen Z's recipe to making friends in real life
Fatigued by everything virtual, the youngest generation at work are now leaning into in-person networking events to find their tribe. A large number of Generation Z — born between 1997 and 2012 — entered the workforce during the Covid-19 pandemic and were forced to tune in remotely. U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy even declared a loneliness epidemic in the U.S. in 2023, saying it was especially affecting young people. Some Gen Z workers are even returning to the office in a bid to expand their network. One recent Freeman survey of nearly 2,000 U.S. adults in professional jobs found that 91% of Gen Z said it would be nice to have a balance of virtual and in-person events to connect with others at their company and in their industry. "In general, young people seek the social atmosphere because many of them just graduated college or are a few years out and are looking for similar social conveniences," Dan Schawbel, managing partner at Workplace Intelligence, explained. Some employers are catching on and trying to fill this gap. Canary Wharf, London's privately owned financial district, which houses companies like JPMorgan, Barclays, and Morgan Stanley, launched the Wharf Connect networking program in 2024 for professionals in the first 10 years of their career. Part of the area's return-to-office drive, Wharf Connect is accessible via an app and offers free events from LinkedIn workshops to pub quizzes. The initiative gets an average of 36 attendees per event and has seen 1,500 RSVPs since its inception last year. "Part of the return-to-office push is that young people, especially, yearn for those connections, and relative to older generations, they are much more isolated and lonely, so return to office at least partially allows them to meet their coworkers," Schawbel said. Last week, I took a trip to Canary Wharf to attend a Xiao Long Bao (dumpling) masterclass at Taiwanese restaurant Din Tai Fung — an event organized by Wharf Connect. Walking into a dining room nestled at the back of the restaurant where the workshop was taking place, I was stunned to see how busy it was with over 50 young professionals in attendance and chattering away. The event featured a hands-on dumpling-making session with the chef, accompanied by complimentary food and drinks. CNBC Make It spoke with three Gen Z attendees who shared how structured networking events are helping them find community. Twenty-five-year-old Vivek Haria, a senior tax advisor at a financial services firm, has attended 10 Wharf Connect events. Before starting his job in the Canary Wharf area, he was already seeking out social events or communities that would allow him to socialize and mingle outside of the workplace, but they left much to be desired. "In fact, there were hardly any, and the ones I went to were pretty much a bit crap. Then I moved here, and this was the last place that I expected these kinds of events. It's definitely filled that gap. I've made some really good friends that I meet up with on weekends as well," Haria said. For Sinny Wei, a 27-year-old human resources professional, moving from New Zealand to London meant she didn't have an established network or community in the U.K. "For me, personally, it is difficult to make friends, because I've moved over here as well, so you've really got to put yourself out there a lot. I really do like it [Wharf Connect] for that as well," she said. Wei said it's a good way to socialize informally, with free tickets, food and drinks being a great draw to the events. "I've only been to two events, so maybe if you ask me after three events, I'll have made some friends by then," she said. Haria noted that, although he returned to the office, many of his colleagues weren't physically at the workplace. The Wharf Connect events makes going to the office worthwhile, because he has something to look forward to in the evenings, he noted. "So I go into the office as many times a week as I can…working from home after Covid has been a bit s--- like I'll go into the office three or four times a week and most of my team won't be in," Haria said. In fact, a 2023 survey by employee background screening company Checkr, which polled 3,000 U.S. workers, found that 68% of managers were keen to continue remote and hybrid work in 2024, while only 48% of employees felt the same way. Senior professionals have less motivation to be in the office, according to Schawbel. With more established social lives, less of a need for mentorship, and better home office setups, older professionals are less drawn to the in-person workplace. This is creating a social void for younger workers. Organized in-person events, from professional networking to speed dating, are in vogue right now, and they are very appealing for Gen Z — some of whom may have underdeveloped social skills. "Covid, plus over-reliance on technology equals socially awkward," Schawbel said. "I'm not saying everyone is socially awkward. I'm just saying it's a recipe to create socially awkward individuals." Activity-focused events enable young people to socialize in a structured environment, rather than forcing them to spark up conversations at random. Dating giant Hinge is even funding free activity-based social events for young people in London, Los Angeles, and New York to make friends. Another example is social app Time Left, which arranges weekly dinners for strangers to meet up, with over 80,000 strangers brought together in 60 countries each month. Morayo Adesina, a 25-year-old equity research bank analyst, said that London changed after the Covid-19 pandemic, with many restaurants and bars not staying open as late — making it hard to get out of the house spontaneously. "Speed dating has definitely become very popular amongst my friends. I just think in general, there's been, a real push to have different kinds of events," she said. Wharf Connect has been an opportunity for Adesina to meet "a lot of cool people" and try new things. "The events that they put on are quite fun, like it's not every day that I get to go to Din Tai Fung to do dumpling making or sushi making." Schawbel said that for many years, people have over-relied on technology to form connections, such as on dating apps or social media, but the abundance of options has created a sense of overwhelm. The rise of in-person events and the demand for them is a rejection of online culture, he added. "They're resisting this digital age, because the digital age has become very cluttered and unreliable, therefore, they're yearning to connect in person more," Schawbel said.
Business Insider
4 hours ago
- Business Insider
Amazon cloud chief says replacing junior employees with AI is the 'dumbest thing I've ever heard'
Matt Garman, Amazon's cloud boss, has a warning for business leaders rushing to swap workers for AI: Don't ditch your junior employees. The Amazon Web Services CEO said on an episode of the "Matthew Berman" podcast published Tuesday that replacing entry-level staff with AI tools is the "dumbest thing I've ever heard." "They're probably the least expensive employees you have. They're the most leaned into your AI tools," he said. "How's that going to work when you go like 10 years in the future and you have no one that has built up or learned anything?" Garman said companies should keep hiring graduates and teaching them how to build software, break down problems, and adopt best practices. He also said the most valuable skills in an AI-driven economy aren't tied to any one college degree. "If you spend all of your time learning one specific thing and you're like, 'That's the thing I'm going to be expert at for the next 30 years,' I can promise you that's not going to be valuable 30 years from now," he said. Instead, he said students should focus on developing critical reasoning, creativity, and the ability to adapt as technology evolves. Garman and Amazon did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider. AI is coming for junior employees Tech leaders have been vocal about how AI could replace the work of entry-level staff. Please help BI improve our Business, Tech, and Innovation coverage by sharing a bit about your role — it will help us tailor content that matters most to people like you. Continue By providing this information, you agree that Business Insider may use this data to improve your site experience and for targeted advertising. By continuing you agree that you accept the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said in June that AI is already beginning to act like junior-level coworkers. "You hear people that talk about their job now is to assign work to a bunch of agents, look at the quality, figure out how it fits together, give feedback, and it sounds a lot like how they work with a team of still relatively junior employees," Altman said of AI agents during the Snowflake Summit 2025. Google's chief scientist, Jeff Dean, said earlier this year that AI will soon be able to replicate the skills of a junior software engineer, adding that it could happen within the next year. The pressure is also showing up in data. According to Goldman Sachs, the unemployment rate for 20- to 30-year-olds in tech has risen by nearly 3 percentage points since early 2024, over four times the increase in the overall jobless rate. "While this is still a small share of the overall US labor market, we estimate that generative AI will eventually displace 6-7% of all US workers," Jan Hatzius, Goldman Sachs' chief economist, wrote in August. Others don't agree that junior staff are expendable. GitHub CEO Thomas Dohmke said last month that young engineers frequently bring fresh perspectives and are more likely to have been early adopters of AI. "Folks that go to high school now, or to college, or even kids earlier in their education, they get to use AI much faster," Dohmke said in a July episode of "The Pragmatic Engineer." "They get it because they are taking this with an open mind. They don't have the, 'This is how we've always done it,'" he added.
Digital Trends
6 hours ago
- Digital Trends
Atlanta's robotaxi fans spark a quirky Uber trend
Waymo partnered with Uber a couple of months ago to offer robotaxi rides in Atlanta, with the autonomous-car company reportedly deploying dozens of fully driverless vehicles for paying passengers in the city. But while Waymo offers its service in other locations via its Waymo One app, in Atlanta it's currently only offering robotaxi rides via the Uber ride-hailing app. And that's led to a quirky new habit among some riders. Recommended Videos As reported by Business Insider (BI), those keen to hop in a Waymo robotaxi are now in the habit of canceling human drivers on the app until it serves up a robotaxi. One rider said he even spent a whole hour rejecting rides until he was able to secure a Waymo robotaxi, adding that on average he has to reject around 20 human drivers on Uber before he can get a Waymo car to collect him. And that was despite setting an option in the Uber app that lets it know you prefer to ride in an autonomous taxi. 'These driverless vehicles seem to be amassing a contingent of enthusiasts who prefer them over human drivers,' BI said in its report. Another robotaxi fan who's in the habit of canceling Uber drivers until he gets a Waymo pickup said that he's started to notice the kinds of rides that Waymo seems to go for. For example, they'll cost under $12 and won't require heading to a freeway. An Uber spokesperson confirmed this with BI, saying that riders can increase the likelihood of getting a Waymo car by avoiding trips that would ordinarily involve hitting a freeway, riding outside busy times like evenings and weekends, and ensuring the ride is within the 65-square-mile Atlanta service area currently applied to Waymo's autonomous taxi trips. Canceling human drivers in pursuit of Waymo rides appears to indicate a growing interest and enthusiasm for autonomous rides, though for now at least, the vast majority of Uber rides are still taken care of by living, breathing humans … much to their relief, no doubt.
