McDonald's Hints At The Triumphant Return Of Snack Wraps

While hamburgers and cheeseburgers are notoriously associated with fast food chains, the reality is that chicken has become the new fan favorite. With health-conscious consumers eating far more chicken than beef or pork, the demand for chicken products has led restaurants to look for ways to add more poultry to their menus. McDonald's is known for its chicken McNuggets and value menu McChicken, but it also launched a more elaborate chicken sandwich in 2021 and later renamed it the McCrispy. The sandwich can be made spicy, deluxe, or spicy deluxe and is described as a "southern-style fried chicken sandwich" with a potato bun.

However, one chicken item missing from the McDonald's menu is the iconic chicken Snack Wrap, and customers have been complaining about the omission since the item was discontinued in 2016. There was even a Change.org petition that received over 18,000 signatures to bring back the beloved menu item. While customer pleas fell on seemingly deaf ears at McDonald's corporate offices, competitor Wendy's launched its chicken wrap while calling the original "McBland," and even Burger King launched its version of the McDonald's snack wrap. Luckily, it seems like McDonald's is finally listening because, in a statement preceding its investor conference, the chain revealed its plans to offer McCrispy globally by 2025 and a desire to "expand McCrispy into wraps and tenders."

The reason McDonald's cut the original Snack Wraps from its menu years ago was apparently due to underwhelming sales and a laborious assembly process that cost the chain money due to the low price point of the wraps, which consisted of grilled or crispy chicken in a warmed tortilla with shredded lettuce, cheese, and your choice of sauce.  In its press release hinting at the possible return of wraps, McDonald's noted, "These planned innovations and new menu offerings reflect the Company's ability to test and scale quickly to serve customers," which may signal that McDonald's has figured out a way to streamline the process, paving the way for the return of Snack Wraps. 

However, its return will likely come as a new and improved product, using the McCrispy tenders and a different marketing strategy. While the original McDonald's Snack Wrap was branded as a healthier option for the chain, the focus has shifted toward flavor and quality. Knowing how many customers miss the original, the highly anticipated return is likely going to be big. Fans have long taken to Reddit to reminisce about the product, going so far as to call Snack Wraps the "best item they had" and begging for their return.

Unfortunately, with food prices continuing to rise since 2020 due to inflation, it's unlikely the wraps will return at such low prices again. However, the sought-after product will likely still be a success even at a higher price point.