Latest news with #CesarPiña
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
McDonald's chicken strips mark first permanent menu addition in 4 years
This story was originally published on Restaurant Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Restaurant Dive newsletter. McDonald's is adding chicken strips, called McCrispy Strips, to its permanent menu on May 5, the brand said Thursday in a press release. The chicken strips are McDonald's first major addition to its U.S. core menu since 2021. This is the chain's first significant menu launch since it formed its restaurant experience teams, including a chicken menu division, in March. McDonald's chicken strip offering could help insulate the Golden Arches from the competitive threat posed by chicken QSRs. Fast food as a whole has embraced chicken as a major sales driver. McDonald's new restaurant experience teams include a branch solely dedicated to chicken product development, alongside divisions targeting beef products and dessert/beverage innovation. Rival Wendy's is also looking to chicken as a menu innovation priority, and the fastest-growing major chains in terms of sales, according to Circana, are chicken chains like Wingstop and Raising Cane's. '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,' Alyssa Buetikofer, McDonald's chief marketing and customer experience officer, said in a statement. Cesar Piña, the chain's senior vice president and chief supply chain officer, said McDonald's has worked to ensure adequate supply of the menu item. 'Bringing new products to our fans requires collaboration across suppliers, franchisees, and company staff. We hold ourselves to the highest standard and aim to bring fans nothing less than greatness,' Piña said. The Golden Arches is also adding a new permanent dipping sauce, called Creamy Chili Dip, to accompany its chicken strips. McDonald's will sell the strips in three- or four-piece orders. McDonald's needs a win in culinary novelty, as the success of its Chicken Big Mac promotion and $5 Meal Deal last year was erased by a consumer pullback after an E. Coli outbreak linked to contaminated onions on Quarter Pounders. Recommended Reading McDonald's creates 'restaurant experience' team to sharpen menu innovation Sign in to access your portfolio
Forbes
25-04-2025
- Business
- Forbes
McCrispy Strips Mark A New Era For McDonald's Everyday Menu
McDonald's McCrispy Strips White meat lovers, your time has come. McDonald's is bringing their McCrispy Strips back to the menu this May. And the white meat, breaded strips will be a permanent fixture on McDonald's menus nationwide. It's the first such change to American menus in four years, since the chain permanently installed the McCrispy Chicken Sandwich in 2021. "Since stepping into my new role as a leader of the U.S. business this year, I've been excited for fans to get to experience our additional chicken offerings," Alyssa Buetikofer, Chief Marketing and Customer Experience Officer at McDonald's, shared in a statement. "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. 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.' To pair with the McCrispy chicken strips, a brand-new creamy chili dip, designed to be savory, sweet and tangy sauce and unlock the full flavor potential of the dippable chicken tenders. A McDonald's McCrispy Strips Meal And when McDonald's unleashes a new sauce stateside, fans go wild. In 2023, McDonald's added three new sauce options: the restaurant's first-ever breakfast inspired sauce, Sweet & Spicy Jam Sauce, McDonald's Mambo Sauce, and a fan-favorite new dippable Big Mac Sauce as condiment options with any order. McCrispy Strips will be available starting on Monday, May 5 in three- or four-piece boxes, served with one or two Creamy Chili Dip sauce cups, respectively. "When we introduce a new menu item like McCrispy Strips, we know we have a big promise to fulfill to meet our customer's expectations,' said Cesar Piña, Senior Vice President and Chief Supply Chain Officer at McDonald's. 'From the farms we source from to how food is prepared in our restaurants, bringing new products to our fans requires collaboration across suppliers, franchisees, and company staff. We hold ourselves to the highest standard and aim to bring fans nothing less than greatness.' Chicken is the product fast food restaurants want to lean into in 2025. As the cost of beef continues to rise, chicken is a more affordable option for consumers looking for fast food at a moderate price. McDonald's most recent earnings call, in October 2024, noted that menu items featuring chicken were a big draw for customers, and thus could improve a franchise's profitability. McDonald's is far from the only quick service restaurant brand to lean into chicken offerings. Taco Bell's chicken nuggets In 2024, Taco Bell debuts its Cantina Chicken Menu, which focused on chicken-focused foods like the Cantina Chicken Burrito, Cantina Chicken Quesadilla and Cantina Chicken Soft Taco. Taco Bell also resurrected Crispy Chicken Nuggets, made with all-white meat chicken, zesty jalapeño buttermilk seasoning, and tortilla chip breading, a cast-off from 2021 menus, now available nationwide. The menu additions may also be helpful for longstanding American brands to compete with America's fastest-growing QSR category: Frid chicken chains. Research from the Food Institute shows that chicken chains including Raising Cane's, Dave's Hot Chicken, Super Chix, Urban Bird Chicken, Church's Chicken, and several more are seeing 4.3% growth in guest visits, while other fast food chains average between 1.3% and 2.4% growth. Bird flu, be damned, Americans want their crunchy chicken.
Daily Mail
25-04-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
McDonald's is bringing back a fan-favorite chicken item… and it's not the snack wrap
McDonald's is rolling out chicken strips to all US restaurants, marking its first permanent menu addition in four years. It will the second big chicken-related item to be added to menus this highly anticipated return of the Snack Wrap is tipped to be next month McCrispy Strips appeared at select locations nationwide today after what the company described as ' countless taste tests.' They will be in all US locations on May 5. 'When we introduce a new menu item like McCrispy Strips, we know we have a big promise to fulfill to meet our customer's expectations,' said North America chief supply chain officer Cesar Piña. The fast food empire also debuted an all-new Creamy Chili sauce. Customers can purchase a three or four-count of McCrispy Strips for $4.99-$5.99, and they come with one or two free sauce cups. The McCrispy Strips, along with the fan-favorite Snack Wrap, will be on the McDonald's 'McValue' platform. McDonald's has not revealed the Snack Wrap's return date, but an employee claimed it would arrive on Tuesday. The McCrispy Strips came after multiple customers created petitions to bring back chicken tenders. '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,' said Alyssa Buetikofer, chief marketing and customer experience officer at McDonald's. 'We took our time, listened to our fans and created a product we knew they would crave.' Fans had already been craving the restaurant chain's snack wraps after it was discontinued in 2016. Some restaurants served them until 2020 but were eventually removed to make room for new menu items. Its Chicken Big Mac also caused a fuss when it was available for a limited time last year. It was considered a participant in the chicken sandwich wars, a years long battle between fast food chains like Popeyes, KFC, Taco Bell, and El Pollo Loco. Customers interested in eating other chicken offerings can order McCrispy or McChicken sandwiches. McDonald's has been a strong contender in the chicken sandwich and value meal wars despite its sales declines While McDonald's has remained a strong contender in the chicken sandwich and value meal wars, it's had multiple sales declines. The chain's quarterly US comparable sales dropped following a brief outbreak last year. It's looking to bounce back from its financial setbacks, and CEO Chris Kempczinski believes protein is one of this year's biggest trends. 'I think protein is going to be a big trend that you see, with people looking to get increased protein consumption,' he said in an Instagram video. 'Protein is hot. Everybody's into protein,' adding that it 'works perfectly' with items like chicken and fish fillets.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
All-New Strips and a Bold Sauce Signal McDonald's Big Play in the Chicken Wars
McDonald's fans get what they want. And apparently they want more chicken. On Thursday, April 24, McDonald's announced the launch of its new McCrispy Strips and a new Creamy Chili Dip to accompany them. Best of all, these items are on the permanent menu — no limited-time bologna here. According to a statement provided to Food & Wine, these items mark the first time the Chicago-based fast-food chain has added something new to its permanent menu in the United States since 2021. As for what the McCrispy Strips are all about, McDonald's shared that they are made with "juicy, 100% white meat, coated with crispy golden-brown breading and bursting with a bold, new black pepper flavor." And the sauce sounds like an ideal pairing as it's a "savory, sweet, and tangy sauce that unlocks the full Strips experience." Related: What Is the McDonald's McGold Card? Inside the Legend of This Coveted Pass "When we introduce a new menu item like McCrispy Strips, we know we have a big promise to fulfill to meet our customers' expectations,' Cesar Piña, the senior vice president and chief supply chain officer at McDonald's, said. 'From the farms we source from to how food is prepared in our restaurants, bringing new products to our fans requires collaboration across suppliers, franchisees, and company staff. We hold ourselves to the highest standard and aim to bring fans nothing less than greatness.' Hungry fans can enjoy the new McCrispy Strips in either three- or four-piece portions, each accompanied by one or two cups of Creamy Chili Dip, starting on May 5 at participating restaurants across the U.S. McDonald's noted that you can also pair the strips with your favorite McDonald's signature sauce, including Tangy Barbecue, Spicy Buffalo, or Creamy Ranch, to personalize the experience. As for why this menu item and why now, Alyssa Buetikofer, the chief marketing and customer experience officer at McDonald's, noted that "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. 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.' And we bet we know what you're wondering — if McDonald's loves chicken so much, where the heck is the snack wrap? The brand added in its statement that fans should stay tuned to its social channels for more "juicy" updates and signed off by adding, "That's a wrap … at least for now!" We see you, McDonald's. We see you. McCrispy Strips: Made with white meat and coated in black pepper breading. Available in three- or four-piece portions beginning May 5. Creamy Chili Dip: A 'savory, sweet, and tangy sauce' made with red jalapeño, bell pepper, and sesame oil to cut through the fried chicken's fatty richness. Read the original article on Food & Wine
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
McDonald's to launch McCrispy Strips with creamy chili dip
McDonald's is set to enhance its menu with the launch of McCrispy Strips and the Creamy Chili Cip across the US in all participating restaurants by 5 May. This chicken dish represents the brand's first new permanent menu item in the country since 2021. The McCrispy Strips are made from 100% white meat in a crispy, golden-brown breading flavoured with black pepper. The new offering will come with a choice of three or four pieces, accompanied by one or two Creamy Chili Dip cups, respectively. This new dip will be sweet and tangy and is designed to complement the taste of the McCrispy Strips. McDonald's chief marketing and customer experience officer Alyssa Buetikofer said: "Since stepping into my new role as a leader of the US business this year, I've been excited for fans to get to experience our additional chicken offerings. "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. We took our time, listened to our fans and created a product we knew they would crave." Customers can also opt to enhance their meal with McDonald's signature sauces, such as Spicy Buffalo, Tangy Barbecue or Creamy Ranch, to create their preferred flavour combinations. McDonald's senior vice-president and chief supply chain officer Cesar Piña added: "When we introduce a new menu item like McCrispy Strips, we know we have a big promise to fulfil to meet our customers' expectations. 'From the farms we source from to how food is prepared in our restaurants, bringing new products to our fans requires collaboration across suppliers, franchisees, and company staff. We hold ourselves to the highest standard and aim to bring fans nothing less than greatness." "McDonald's to launch McCrispy Strips with creamy chili dip" was originally created and published by Verdict Food Service, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.
