McDonald's understands that getting food to people quickly means more than coming up with the next big fast food innovation. It's a model pioneered by Domino's (DPZ) where execution and reliably delivering hot meals efficiently actually means more than having the best food.
Nobody ever accuses Dominos of having great pizza. At best it offers a serviceable pie that lives up to the age-old idea that any pizza is better than no pizza. What the company does well, however, is get you your meal no matter where you are at a low price with decent quality standards.
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The pandemic forced McDonald's (MCD) to adopt the same model. Or, it may be more fair to say that the pandemic hastened the chain making the choice to prioritize operations over innovation.
That's why menu changes and limited-time offers (LTOs) have been relatively rare and many of the special offers have been 'new" items made from things already being served. A celebrity meal actually makes serving more efficient as you know that more customers will order that configuration of items so the kitchen can be prepared.
Doubling down on operations forced McDonald's to drop its beloved All-Day Breakfast. Customers want to be able to order McMuffins and other morning favorites all day, but offering that stresses out the kitchen.
To make up for the loss of All-Day Breakfast, however, McDonald's has been boosting its morning menu. That has included bringing back its popular Bagel sandwiches -- including the steak variety, which adds a new protein to the breakfast menu.
Now, the company has another breakfast protein that's expected to be joining the menu.
McDonald's Makes a Spicy Menu Addition
While it's not likely to be a viral hit like the chain's Grimace Shake, McDonald's does have plans to add six varieties of new breakfast sandwiches, on July 5 according to internal documents obtained by Fast Food Post. All the sandwiches will incorporate a jalapeño sausage patty.
The new lineup is expected to include:
- Cheesy Jalapeño Sausage McMuffin with Egg: A savory hot sausage, freshly cracked egg, cheesy sauce, and jalapeño slices on a toasted English muffin.
- Cheesy Jalapeño Sausage McMuffin with Egg & Cheese: A savory sausage topped with a freshly cracked egg, a slice of melty American cheese, cheese sauce, and jalapeño slices, served on a toasted English muffin.
- Cheesy Jalapeño Sausage McMuffin: A savory sausage patty paired with cheesy sauce and jalapeños on a toasted English McMuffin.
- Cheesy Jalapeño Sausage Biscuit with Egg: A sizzling hot pork sausage patty topped with a folded egg, cheesy sauce, and jalapeños, served on a warm, flaky biscuit brushed with real butter.
- Cheesy Jalapeño Bacon Egg Cheese Biscuit: A slice of melty American cheese topped with thick-cut Applewood smoked bacon, a fluffy folded egg, cheese sauce, and jalapeños, all on a warm, buttermilk biscuit brushed with real butter.
- Cheesy Jalapeño Sausage Biscuit: A sizzling hot sausage patty topped with cheese sauce and pickled jalapeño slices on a warm buttermilk biscuit that’s brushed with real butter and baked to perfection.
It's unclear as to whether the chain will be using a different sausage patty or simply adding jalapeños to its existing breakfast sandwiches.
McDonald's will also be adding a new Cheesy Jalapeño Bacon QPC and Cheesy Jalapeño Bacon Double QPC at participating locations nationwide for a limited time starting July 10, 2023, according to Fast Food Post.
These changes have not been confirmed by McDonald's which has not responded to a request for comment as of the time of publication.