McDonald’s Snack Wrap.
Courtesy: McDonald’s
McDonald’s snack wraps will return to U.S. restaurants next month as the fast-food giant looks to boost sales after a sluggish start to the year.
McDonald’s introduced snack wraps nearly two decades ago but discontinued the item in 2016 because it slowed its kitchens down too much. Some franchisees kept snack wraps around until 2020, when McDonald’s slashed its menu during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns to keep service running as smoothly as possible. Snack wraps disappeared along with salads and parfaits.
McDonald’s customers have been clamoring for the return of the snack wraps for years, starting petitions, asking about it in the drive-thru lanes and tweeting daily at McDonald’s official X account. Its return on July 10 comes as McDonald’s sales slow, hurt by cautious consumer spending. The burger chain reported that its U.S. same-store sales declined 3.6% in the first quarter.
This time, McDonald’s snack wraps will be made with one of the chain’s McCrispy Strips, which launched nationwide in May. The wraps will come in two flavors: spicy and ranch.
“The market continues to show the consumer is interested in this product. We want to make sure that we’re meeting our customers’ needs on that,” McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski told analysts, referring to the snack wrap, in early May.
The menu item is part of McDonald’s broader push beyond beef into chicken. The success of restaurants such as Chick-fil-A, Popeyes, Raising Cane’s and Dave’s Hot Chicken has made chicken a fast-growing restaurant category in recent years.
The return of McDonald’s snack wraps could ignite the next stage in the so-called chicken wars. Restaurant Brands International’s Popeyes on Monday announced its own take with its “generously sized Chicken Wraps,” wrapped in a tortilla inspired by its biscuits and available for a limited time.
