Dive Brief:
- McDonald’s will test a tempura chicken patty version of its Big Mac in select Miami-area restaurants later this month, the company confirmed Thursday.
- The chain will garner feedback from customers and employees during the test as it mulls adding the Chicken Big Mac to U.S. menus.
- Customers have been “menu hacking” their own versions of the Chicken Big Mac for some time, and have posted their ordering methods on TikTiok, The Washington Post reports.
Dive Insight:
McDonald’s launched three new chicken sandwiches last year to keep pace with rivals in the Chicken Sandwich Wars, but creating a menu item based on what diners are already ordering could glean stronger ROI.
The burger chain debuted the Chicken Big Mac for a limited time in the U.K. earlier this year, where the product received positive customer reviews, according to the company.
Chicken is a signifcant business opportunity and priority for McDonald’s, CEO Chris Kempczinski said during McDonald’s Q2 earnings call.
“We've got some great global equities already in our McNuggets and with McChicken, but we also have some equities in McCrispy and McSpicy that we think we've got an opportunity to do more with globally,” he said.
The Chicken Big Mac test, and the company’s renewed focus on the chicken category, comes about a month after McDonald’s ended its U.S. McPlant test. The chain said the pilot “concluded as planned,” but analysts report that the plant-based burger generated disappointing sales. McDonald’s hasn’t disclosed any performance metrics from the test.
