McDonald's (MCD) is the ideal fast-food choice for the consumer that loves the classics.
While Taco Bell (YUM) leans on finding new ways to reuse the same dozen ingredients and KFC (YUM) is determined to create the world's fattest chicken sandwich, McDonald's strategy has always been about finding new ways to make its most-loved products better.
It did it with the Quarter Pounder in 2018, undergoing an arduous three-year process to swap frozen beef out for fresh.
It also recently tested Tik-Tok-inspired "Menu Hacks" with its offerings, allowing consumers to stack fish, meat, and even chicken nuggets on the same burger if they so desired. Predictably, social media took it as far as it could possibly go.
For its newest food item, Mickey D's went back to its tried and true formula once again, focusing its sights on one of its most beloved dessert options: Fried pie.
That's when someone in the boardroom said, "Hey, I've got an idea. What if we put something savory in the pie instead of something sweet?"
McDonald's Pies: Apple, Blueberry, and now...
If you've been eating at McDonald's for a long time, you've probably seen (and probably eaten) the classic fried dessert pie in a variety of ways. Warm Apple pie is the standard, of course. But the menu has also featured Blueberry, Strawberry, Pumpkin, and even a colorful Holiday version with sprinkles.
Starting on April 13, a new addition is coming to the collection, and as aforementioned, it's of the savory variety (which makes one wonder why that hasn't happened sooner).
Called the Bacon Potato Pie, it contains a creamy milk-based filling, smoky bacon, and grilled onions, stuffed inside that perfectly-fried shell we already know and love.
McDonald's Japan
The limited-edition pie will retail for 150 yen ($1.21 U.S.) and is only available in the Japanese market. If you've eaten McDonald's outside of the United States in the past, you may actually remember it, as the fast food chain brings it back and forth to the menu every few years.
McDonald's Japanese Twitter account is also holding a contest, starting on April 7, for fans to win a free pie. Now 210 people can win one by following the account and tweeting using special hashtags.
If you prefer your pies for dessert rather than for the main meal, McDonald's Japan also has a special cherry blossom-flavored one to celebrate the annual season the country is known for.
Called the Sakura Mochi Pie, it contains both cherry-flavored mochi and bean paste and retails for the same price as the Bacon Potato Pie.
McDonald's is still under pressure to find ways to innovate and keep customer interest, which is likely why it's bringing back an item that customers have enjoyed in the past.
Its fourth-quarter earnings fell short of Wall Street forecasts, although net sales rose 13% to $6.01 billion.
So if McDonald's wants to hit those numbers this year, it'll need to stay focused on new ways to keep its customers happy. And judging from the popularity of its menu, anything warm and fried is probably a pretty good gamble.
