If McDonald’s ever doubted it wanted to carry again the Snack Wrap, contemplate this: 9 years after the fast-food powerhouse discontinued the merchandise within the U.S., prospects have continued to order it at drive-thrus.
These prospects received’t have to go away empty-handed for lengthy. On Tuesday, McDonald’s introduced {that a} new model of the Snack Wrap will go on sale July 10.
McDonald’s invented the Snack Wrap — a tortilla filled with rooster, lettuce, shredded cheese and sauce — nearly 20 years in the past to make it simpler to eat its rooster on the go. But it surely was too sophisticated for its kitchens to organize, so the burger big deserted the Snack Wrap within the U.S. in 2016.
The choice devastated followers like Alicia Pressure, a musician and administrative assistant at a highschool in Missouri. Pressure tried to make Snack Wraps at dwelling and sampled alternate options from Arby’s and different eating places, however nothing was the identical. So she began a Fb group with 86 members urging McDonald’s to resurrect the Snack Wrap.
Different loyal noshers weighed in too. A Change.org petition asking McDonald’s to carry again the Snack Wrap has almost 19,000 signatures. A TikTok video displaying a U.S. meals reviewer consuming Snack Wraps in Eire — the place they’re nonetheless bought — racked up greater than 1.4 million views.
It had an affect. McDonald’s started teasing a Snack Wrap reappearance earlier this 12 months.
“We take heed to our followers, and the Snack Wrap’s return is a testomony to that,” McDonald’s U.S. President Joe Erlinger instructed The Related Press.
However McDonald’s has different causes for the reboot. The Snack Wrap’s lower cost level may lure again inflation-weary prospects, who’ve been consuming fewer fast-food meals in latest months. The wraps’ smaller measurement and tortilla casing additionally attraction to the health-conscious.
Steve Davis, a psychological well being counselor in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, used to purchase six grilled rooster Snack Wraps at a time and hold them in his fridge as a grab-and-go snack.
“I’m not really a fast-food fan, however Snack Wraps felt completely different, like I used to be consuming an precise ‘wrap.’ I felt like I used to be being more healthy,” Davis mentioned.
Snack Wraps will even assist McDonald’s compete with a rising variety of rivals. Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen launched its personal rooster wraps on Monday, whereas Burger King and Wendy’s have bought them since 2023. Even the comfort retailer chain Wawa sells a rooster wrap.
“There’s a lot alternative within the rooster class,” Erlinger mentioned. Quick-food rooster gross sales are almost twice the dimensions of beef and are rising extra rapidly throughout the globe, Erlinger mentioned.
Reviving the Snack Wrap was a years-long course of, Erlinger mentioned. First, McDonald’s needed to develop a greater fried rooster strip. After a number of years of testing, the Chicago-based firm debuted its peppery McCrispy Strips in early Could.
McDonald’s additionally needed to replace its Snack Wrap instruments, simplify the preparation course of and prepare employees at its 13,500 U.S. eating places, Erlinger mentioned.
“With this being one in every of our most extremely anticipated menu objects, we knew we had one probability to knock it out of the park. It needed to be straightforward for crew to execute,” Erlinger mentioned.
For the U.S. comeback, McDonald’s is providing fewer sorts of Snack Wraps to make sure quicker service. It used to have each grilled and fried rooster choices, but it surely’s solely providing fried rooster within the U.S. for now. And the relaunched Snack Wraps will solely are available two flavors: Ranch or Spicy. The corporate used to supply further sauces like honey mustard and candy chili.
That would disappoint some followers. Pressure was keen on a Snack Wrap with honey mustard sauce, for instance. Davis all the time obtained grilled rooster on his Snack Wraps, and he hardly ever went to McDonald’s after they disappeared.
McDonald’s continues to have a wider vary of choices in another markets the place Snack Wraps by no means went away. Canada nonetheless presents grilled or fried rooster in its Snack Wraps, for instance, in addition to rooster, fish and breakfast variations of full-sized wraps. McDonald’s wouldn’t say if it plans so as to add extra Snack Wrap varieties within the U.S.
“We’ll proceed listening to our followers in the case of menu improvements,” the corporate mentioned.
Snack Wraps are returning at a sluggish interval for fast-food eating places. From January by April, U.S. fast-food visitors was down 1% in comparison with the identical interval a 12 months in the past, mentioned David Portalatin, a senior vice chairman and trade advisor for meals service at market analysis agency Circana.
McDonald’s same-store gross sales – or gross sales at areas open a minimum of a 12 months – have been down 3.6% within the first quarter of the 12 months in comparison with the identical interval final 12 months. Its same-store gross sales grew lower than 1% in 2024.
Inflation is the principle wrongdoer, Portalatin mentioned. Within the first quarter of this 12 months, the common examine at a U.S. fast-food restaurant was up 41% from the identical interval in 2019, he mentioned. The upper costs have led many People – particularly middle- to lower-income households – to eat at dwelling as an alternative of going out.
McDonald’s has tried to counter that with a restricted McValue menu and elevated offers. However cheaper choices like a Snack Wrap may assist.
The corporate received’t say how a lot the Snack Wrap will value within the U.S. as a result of costs will differ by location. However Burger King’s costs might give a clue. At a Michigan restaurant this week, Burger King charged $2.99 for its Royal Crispy Wrap, the 310-calorie equal of a Snack Wrap. Burger King’s Royal Crispy Rooster sandwich, with a bun, a bigger rooster breast and almost twice the energy, value $5.49.
Portalatin mentioned snack-sized choices from McDonald’s and others additionally mirror People’ altering eating habits. Extra individuals are selecting to eat smaller meals all through the day as an alternative of getting having breakfast, lunch and dinner at their conventional occasions.
“The patron doesn’t take into consideration issues within the neat buckets that we as entrepreneurs like to consider them,” Portalatin mentioned. “We prefer to say, ‘This event is lunch and these are lunch meals.’ The patron merely says, ‘I’m hungry. What time is it? The place am I?’”
That was definitely true for Pressure, who mentioned she has fond reminiscences of choosing up a Snack Wrap after college as an adolescent. She’s wanting ahead to creating that a part of her routine as soon as extra.
“Hopefully, they arrive again and so they style the identical, and so they don’t break my coronary heart once more, fairly frankly,” she mentioned.