Latest news with #ChickenBigMac
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
New York Post
25-04-2025
- Business
- New York Post
Fast food companies lean into chicken offerings as popularity skyrockets
Several major fast food companies are leaning into chicken. McDonald's, Taco Bell and Wendy's have each indicated in recent months that they are looking to ramp up their offerings of the increasingly popular protein. Fast-food giant McDonald's on Thursday revealed McCrispy Strips would become a permanent menu item at all participating U.S. restaurants by May 5, something CEO Chris Kempczinski alluded to during the company's fourth-quarter earnings call in February as he detailed some upcoming plans for its chicken business. The return of the Snack Wrap is also in the works at McDonald's, with Kempczinski telling analysts and investors at the time that the item would arrive in the U.S. 'along with a few other markets' this year. The chain more recently hinted at the date of the Snack Wrap's comeback with a social media post that said 'snack wraps 0x.14.2025.' McDonald's is also looking to expand the availability of its McCrispy chicken sandwich from its more than 70 markets to 'nearly all' by the end of the year, according to Kempczinski. As for the Chicken Big Mac, the company plans to 'continue to pulse in' that sandwich as a 'limited-time-only offering over time,' he said. 4 McCrispy Strips will become a permanent menu item at all participating U.S. McDonald's by May 5. '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,' Kempczinski said during the February earnings call. Taco Bell, meanwhile, has also been making more moves with chicken. The chain added crispy chicken nuggets to its U.S. menus on Thursday, roughly four months after their first limited-time stint in December. Taco Bell's nuggets appeared in nearly 1-in-6 Taco Bell orders during that limited run, according to the brand. 4 Taco Bell added crispy chicken nuggets to its U.S. menus on Thursday, roughly four months after their first limited-time stint in December. Facebook/Taco Bell Their latest reappearance is the 'first step in Taco Bell's plan to add crispy chicken to menus permanently by 2026,' the chain said in mid-April. Taco Bell said the Crispy Chicken Nuggets 'will be on menus for a limited time as one of several new creations the brand is exploring as it works toward making crispy chicken a permanent part of the menu' next year. During the 'Live Mas' event that Taco Bell held in early March, the brand said U.S. and Canadian customers can also expect to see crispy chicken burritos and tacos on a limited-time basis this year. At Taco Bell's test kitchen, 95% of its innovations spotlight chicken, according to the brand. 4 Taco Bell's nuggets appeared in nearly 1-in-6 Taco Bell orders during the limited run in December. Refrina – Early last year, the chain rolled out its Cantina Chicken Menu, featuring items like the Cantina Chicken Burrito, Cantina Chicken Quesadilla and Cantina Chicken Soft Taco. Taco Bell said last month it is 'aiming for Cantina Chicken Menu items to reach $5 billion in system sales by 2030.' Executives at Wendy's, which has more than 7,000 restaurants worldwide, are also plotting to add more chicken to menus. CEO Kirk Tanner said during the company's earnings call in mid-February that Wendy's has 'plans to expand in fast-growing categories, including chicken and beverages.' 4 A general view of a Wendy's restaurant inside of Tampa International Airport in Tampa, FL as seen on August 29, 2024. Christopher Sadowski In a blog post after the company's investor day in March, he similarly wrote that Wendy's was planning on 'expanding our chicken offerings to provide modern, craveable options to our customers' in addition to the chain keeping a 'continued focus on our iconic square hamburgers and fresh, never frozen beef as our quality differentiator.' The company has also rolled out Frost Fusions and Frosty Swirls this spring. During the investor day, Wendy's Chief Marketing Officer Lindsay Radkoski said chicken 'overindexes with all three of our key growth audiences, and based on trends with those audiences and why they're eating chicken, we don't expect the growth in chicken to slow down anytime soon,' according to QSR Magazine. She also reportedly said the chain's 'menu work' on chicken 'is more intensive than ever before.' Wendy's recently released a Cajun Crunch Chicken Sandwich as a limited-time offering as part of its spring menu.
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
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
McDonald's bringing back McCrispy chicken strips. Here's when as we wait for Snack Wraps return
While McDonald's continues to drop hints about the return of its cult favorite Snack Wraps, another chicken item is returning to the fast-food giant much sooner. McCrispy strips will be available nationwide on April 29 and are already in some restaurants, reports fast-food influencer Snackolator. Here's what to know. What's in a Snack Wrap? When do they come back? McDonald's hints at cult favorite's return date According to Snackolator, McCrispy strips are coming back to McDonald's on April 29, but some locations have them now. According to a food review of the strips posted at Burger Beast, the McCrispy strips come as a three- or four-piece combo with the choice of two dipping sauces. The available dipping sauces are: Creamy Chili Spicy Buffalo Hot Mustard Nether Flame A secret no more: Craving a Land, Sea & Air? Or a Big Mac 'n' Cheese? How to order off McDonald's secret menu The Burger Beast food reviewer purchased the three-piece combo for $4.99 and the four-piece for $5.99. However, prices will vary by market. McDonald's has been coy about revealing when its fan-favorite Snack Wraps will return. The chain's latest clue dropped on social media was "0x.14.2025," hinting that the wraps would return before October at the latest. McDonald's Snack Wrap debuted in 2006, USA TODAY reports, before being discontinued in 2016. Some restaurants continued to serve it until 2020. That's when it was removed from the menu to simplify McDonald's offerings during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Food Network. The basic Snack Wrap is a chicken breast with lettuce, cheese and sauce wrapped in a flour tortilla, per the Food Network. McValue menu: See the deals on new McDonald's value menu being launched with WWE star, actor John Cena The Snack Wrap isn't the only fan-favorite returning to McDonald's menus in 2025. In an earnings call in February, McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski said that the company is setting its sights on expanding chicken offerings in its stores and wants to "increase its market share in the chicken category by the end of 2026," according to Quartz. 'We'll continue to roll out the McCrispy, and there's incredible energy around the return of Snack Wraps in the U.S., alongside new offerings like chicken strips and the limited-time Chicken Big Mac,' Kempczinski said in the call. He hinted that customers could expect the new items to "come online later in the year.' Other items like the Chicken Big Mac proved to be successful enough to help McDonald's chicken market share in the U.S. and France. Kempczinski noted that McDonald's plans to continue rolling out the Chicken Big Mac as a limited-time offering, TODAY reports. There are 613 McDonald's restaurants in Ohio, according to the web scraping tool ScrapeHero. Only California, Texas, Florida and Illinois have more locations than Ohio. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: McDonald's to drop McCrispy Strips soon as Snack Wrap wait continues
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
McDonald's snatches Starbucks' crown for the first time in a decade
McDonald's is the world's most valuable restaurant brand, dethroning Starbucks for the first time in a decade. After dominating since 2016, Starbucks has lost its crown to McDonald's, which has reclaimed the top spot, according to a report from consulting firm Brand Finance. McDonald's brand value surged by 7% to $40.5 billion from 2024 to 2025, while Starbucks (SBUX) saw a sharp 36% decline, dropping to $38.8 billion. Recent moves from the respective chains have been crucial to their rise and fall. Brand Finance data shows that Starbucks' decline is driven by drops in key brand strength metrics in both the U.S. and China, particularly in areas like 'reputation' and 'recommendation.' This reflects low customer expectations, rising dissatisfaction, and ultimately a decline in sales. In contrast, McDonald's has pushed forward with strategic changes to its operations, though not without challenges. Most notably, an outbreak late last year forced the chain to launch a $100 million recovery plan. Since then, the burger giant has been on a marketing blitz. Earlier this month, it reorganized its team into three departments, focusing on winning in beef, chicken, and beverages. New product launches, including the McCrispy and Chicken Big Mac, and recent promotions — like the return of the Shamrock Shake and $5 meal deal — have helped drive customer traffic. A collector's cup promotion also became a hit, with some selling for up to $100 on eBay. On the other hand, Starbucks continues to face challenges under the leadership of new CEO Brian Niccol, who is working to make the coffee giant a staple once again. Starbucks recently reported its fourth-consecutive quarter of declining sales, particularly in China, the company's second-largest market. Despite this, Starbucks is on the road to a 'Big Fix.' As part of Niccol's efforts to turn things around with a 'Back to Starbucks' strategy, the company has pared down its menu by 30%, promising to serve coffee in under four minutes. Starbucks has also removed 13 drinks from its menu, eliminated the extra charges for non-dairy milk alternatives, and is reintroducing TV marketing, condiment bars, and power outlets for paying customers. Not all the company's changes have been well received. Starbucks recently reversed its position on its 2018 open-door policy, which previously allowed anyone to sit in stores, following the arrest of two Black men at a Philadelphia location. In early March, Niccol delivered a stern message to corporate employees, urging them to step up their efforts and take more responsibility for Starbucks' financial performance after the company laid off 1,100 workers. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Sign in to access your portfolio
