It's easy to understand why McDonald's has resisted calls to bring certain menu items back. The McRib or even the McLobster sandwich requires major preparation changes in the chain's kitchens.
Something like McSpaghetti or McPizza -- which few people are clamoring for -- actually needs special equipment. And, the beloved Snack Wrap, which might be the most-requested item McDonald's (MCD) customers want returned to the menu, was dropped because it slows down the kitchen.
DON'T MISS: McDonald's Expands Bold Breakfast Menu Experiment
That's also why the chain never brought back All-Day Breakfast after it was removed during the pandemic. It's popular with customers who want a McMuffin when they want a McMuffin, not just before 10:30 a.m., but franchise owners hated how much complexity offering it added to their kitchens.
In the digital and delivery era, McDonald's executives have embraced the idea that efficiency matters more than innovation. It's not that the chain doesn't want to have limited-time offers, but it makes a lot more sense for it to add a new sauce or topping to a burger or make a mild change to its chicken sandwich in order to create something new.
Call it the Taco Bell model where the Yum Brands (YUM) chain makes menu changes seemingly on a weekly basis simply by shifting its existing ingredients and adding in new elements or even combing existing ones in a different way.
That's what McDonald's is doing as it listened to public demand and brought back a beloved product line that does not create a lot of added work in its kitchens.
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McDonald's Bagels Are Back
The loss of McDonald's bagels never made sense because aside from the steak version of the breakfast sandwich, the only added item was the bagel itself. It's simply not much extra work for the chain to stock another line of bread and toasting a bagel is no different than toasting an English muffin.
McDonald's fans have long requested the return of the Breakfast Bagels and the chain has responded by slowly bringing them back in select markets starting last November. Those efforts appear to have speeded up and McDonald's Breakfast Bagels now appear to be offered in much, if not all of the country.
The line consists of three sandwiches -- the Steak, Egg & Cheese; Bacon, Egg & Cheese; and Sausage, Egg & Cheese. In theory, you can also order a meat-free Egg and Cheese, but that's not an official choice.
Participation can still vary and the chain has made no official announcement that the Breakfast Bagel has returned. Billboards, however, have appeared in select markets with the tagline "Breakfast Bagels Are Back!"
McDonald's Tests New Breakfast Value Deal
While rivals Wendy's (WEN) and Restaurant Brands International's (QSR) Burger King have made meal deals a major menu focus, McDonald's mostly hasn't. Now, the fast food giant is at least testing a 2 for $3 breakfast menu, The Fast Food Post reports.
It's a fairly simple offer where fans of the chain can pick any two items from the following list for $3.
- Sausage Biscuit: A sizzling hot sausage served on a warm buttermilk biscuit that’s topped with real butter and baked to perfection.
- Sausage McMuffin: A savory hot sausage with melty American cheese served on a warm, freshly toasted English muffin.
- Sausage Burrito: A fluffy scrambled egg paired with pork sausage, melty cheese, green chiles, and onion, all wrapped in a soft flour tortilla.
- Hash Browns: Shredded Potato hash brown patties prepared so they’re soft and fluffy on the inside and crispy and golden on the outside.
That's a short list with a lot of sausage on it, but the 2 for $3 menu is just in the test stages. It has popped up in select locations in Pennsylvania and Ohio. If it gets a national rollout, it's possible the list of items will get tweaked.
