McDonald's has had mixed success with dessert. The chain's apple pie has long been a popular menu item, but many fans wish the chain would go back to the fried version instead of the current baked one.
Ice cream has also been a stalwart on the menu, but simply having soft serve isn't the novelty it was in the 70s, 80s, or even the 90s. Yes, you can get a cone, a sundae, or a shake, but the only really interesting offering is the chain's troubled McFlurry line.
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McFlurrys are popular, but they're also a source of frustration since roughly 10%, sometimes well more, of the machines that make the ice cream treat are broken at any given time. That's a high enough percentage to make people who really want dessert to consider visiting another chain.
In the United States, dessert has been sort of an afterthought for the chain. McDonald's (MCD) -) occasionally rolls out limited-time-offer (LTO) McFlurry flavors and, once in a great while, it adds a new pie offering, but those changes are rare compared to its global dessert choices.
Around the world, McDonald's has more McFlurry flavors on the regular menu, and it regularly adds new LTOs in many markets. The same is true for its pies and, now, the chain has added a pie to one of its global menus that seems so perfect for the U.S. that it's hard to think it won't eventually find its way stateside.
Image source: McDonald's
McDonald's has a KitKat Puff Pastry Choco Pie
Not every McDonald's dessert around the world translates well to the U.S. It's hard to see why McDonald's Canada's Strawberry pie isn't offered in the chain's home market, but less difficult to understand why American locations don't offer Japan's Melon McFloat (a green beverage with vanilla ice cream on it), Mexico's Cheese Pie (which just doesn't seem like it should be listed under dessert), or Singapore's Dorian Crunch McFlurry, made with a fruit that's famous for smelling bad.
But, a new item on the chain's menu in Hong Kong seems like it's perfect for U.S. audiences as it involves a beloved candy treat and chocolate.
"McDonald's in Hong Kong just dropped a KitKat Puff Pastry Choco Pie and I'd like this here immediately. It's a chocolate puff pastry shell that is filled with a 'KitKat Spread' inside which looks to be a chocolate filling that has KitKat pieces inside," the popular Snackolator Instagram page reported.
Forget pies, McDonald's builds on value
McDonald's has actually made very few additions to its menu in the U.S. Instead, the chain has focused on execution and delivering value to customers. That's something CFO Ian Borden talked about during the fast-food giant's second-quarter earnings call.
"Maintaining our leadership position in value is crucial to future success, and McDonald's holds the number one position in good value for money and affordability across most of our major markets," he said. "This shows that even in the most challenging of environments, our customers know that they can rely on McDonald's to provide an affordable destination for the food that they love."
The CFO made it clear that value and price are not the same thing.
"We know that customers' perceptions on value are made up of more than just the price of our food. It's also about the experience that we provide," he said.
Doing that includes making the process of ordering, paying for, and getting your food as simple as possible.
"Last quarter, we introduced an enhanced ordering process through our app in the US with the goal of delivering a faster and more enjoyable experience for the customer. While we're still learning from this deployment, early results have been extremely positive with elevated sales initiated through the app, increased customer satisfaction and improved service times," he added.
