Latest news with #McDonaldsUSA
Fast Company
05-06-2025
- Business
- Fast Company
People are obsessed with the McDonald's Snack Wrap. These files prove it
After nine long years, McDonald's has finally announced the revival of the Snack Wrap, one of its most beloved—and most copied—discontinued menu items. To herald the wrap's return, the brand made an entire digital archive dedicated to documenting fans' fervor for the Snack Wrap. The wrap returns after a number of other fast food chains, including Burger King, Wendy's, Chic-fil-A, and, most recently, Popeyes, have made their own dupes of the item in its absence. McDonald's' attempt to reclaim its Snack Wrap dominance comes as the company continues to face difficult financial headwinds; reporting its second consecutive quarter of sales declines in its first-quarter financial report on May 1. Now, the company is betting on fans' Snack Wrap nostalgia to score a boost this summer. On McDonald's' official website, a cryptic official statement from Joe Erlinger, McDonald's USA president, simply reads, 'It's back.' Accompanying the statement, though, is the link to a website called the Snack Wrap Files that's a wealth of Snack Wrap-based information. Per the site, the Snack Wrap will be made with McDonald's' McCrispy Strips in two flavors: ranch or spicy. It will be available as a combo meal and, at last, it has secured a spot as a permanent menu item. The Snack Wrap Files also serves another purpose: The site, which has a simple, early web vibe, is an archive dedicated to all of the times that McDonald's fans have yearned for the Snack Wrap since 2016. It's back. According to its FAQ section, the Snack Wrap Files was created 'to highlight the bond fans have with the Snack Wrap.' 'The Snack Wrap was phased out nationally in 2016, but it never left fans' hearts,' the website reads. 'From countless social media posts to full-fledged petitions, they never gave up on their favorite menu item. They're the ones who inspired us to make its return to the menu happen.' And McDonald's is dedicated to spinning that return into a dramatic, full-blown campaign. Currently, there are 10 folders on the Snack Wrap Files site, three of which are unlocked for public viewing. A countdown at the top of the page marks the time remaining before the other seven files are unlocked. In the 'Media Materials' folder, users can find official photos of the new Snack Wrap and FAQs about its return. Under 'BTS,' they can take a peek behind the curtain at McDonald's' creative team poring over Snack Wrap ad materials. But 'The Fandom' folder is where the site really shines. Within this section, the McDonald's team has compiled a highlight reel of fans' most fervent pleas for the Snack Wrap's return. Some are on the tamer side, like an email that reads, 'Is it true you're bringing back the Snack Wrap??!! I will be so excited!!!!!!' and another sharing, 'In fact I am 13 weeks pregnant and my biggest craving is something I can't have. I am due July 14th, 2025. Will snack wraps be back before then? Please just give me a hint.' Others take a more desperate tone. 'Where is the snack wrap. You guys promised me 2025, it is 2025. I do not see the snack wrap. Please get back to me, this is an important matter,' reads one inquiry. 'When the snack wraps are dropped I'm going to do a challenge where I try and eat 1,000 in a calendar year,' another says. 'If I record myself and post it on tik tok or something will you give me a reward?' One emailer resorted to a direct threat: 'I hope you're not playing with our emotions because I swear to god the people of the US will riot if you pull the rug from underneath us!' Whew. In three days, 23 hours, and 40 minutes (at the time of this writing), the Snack Wrap Files' cryptic 'Reaction Clips,' 'Merch Concepts,' 'Internal Emails,' 'Promo Codes,' 'Playlist,' 'Voice Note,' and 'Credits' folders will be unlocked.
Fox News
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
McDonald's secret drink item with 'cotton candy flavor' goes viral
Many McDonald's customers are raving about a secret menu hack. The "Cotton Candy Sprite" isn't something you'll find on your local McDonald's menu — but social media users have cracked the code on how to finagle the fizzy drink. Here's how it works: Customers simply ask for a medium Sprite with three pumps of French vanilla syrup. This creates a blended and bubbly refreshment, according to the Instagram page for the food news website Mouth Attack. But to get in on the viral sensation, customers need to order in person inside a McDonald's or at the drive-thru. The fact that the treat is an in-store exclusive hasn't stopped the hype around it. The beverage seems to be drawing on a combination of fascination and distaste. Of the more than 5,000 people who participated in a poll conducted by Mouth Attack on Instagram, 42% fell under the category of "I'm trying this," while 50% responded with "I'll pass." "That should stay a secret." "That should stay a secret," wrote one commenter. One person who mentioned a past stint at McDonald's said, "I did this when I worked there. Best way to have a Sprite from McDonald's." But some expressed skepticism about the flavor profile. "I wonder how citrus & vanilla flavors would create a cotton candy flavor," wrote one person. Others seemed unimpressed by the blend. Said a commenter, "Wasn't good at all, lol. Tasted nothing like cotton candy, more like a creme soda. Dissatisfied!" "This sounds horrible," said yet another. Someone else expressed skepticism at the brand's ability to fulfill customers' requests for the secret menu item, writing, "McDonald's can't even get working milkshake machines … so don't waste our time." This isn't the first time a debated secret menu hack at McDonald's has sparked a viral conversation. In 2022, the "Land, Air & Sea" trendy sandwich involved ordering a Big Mac, McChicken and Filet-o-Fish and stacking the sandwiches on top of one another into a multiverse of meat. For more Lifestyle articles, visit McDonald's seemed to legitimize the trend when it offered the burger trifecta for a limited time, though it required customers who ordered it to "make it yourself," which was met with plenty of debate on social media. It's not certain if McDonald's will embrace the Cotton Candy Sprite in the same way. Fox News Digital reached out to McDonald's, as well as to Mouth Attack, for comment but did not hear back by publication time.
