Over the last three years, chicken sandwiches have been popping up at every street corner.
After a fried-chicken and pickle sandwich from Restaurant Brands International (QSR) Popeyes' went viral in 2019, many a brand has tried to get in on the action with their own version of the food that caused caused round-the-block line-ups.
It didn't matter if you had been making chicken sandwiches for years or only served coffee. Everyone from Wendy's (WEN) and Taco Bell to Starbucks (SBUX) and Panera Bread (PNRA) all released some type of bread and a piece of fried chicken -- even if in Taco Bell's case it was a taco.
While McDonald's (MCD) has ben serving up the McChicken since the 1980s, it also expanded its chicken sandwich offering with Spicy Crispy Chicken Sandwich and the Spicy Deluxe Crispy Chicken Sandwich.
Not at Every McDonald's
Some would say that the fried chicken sandwich craze has hit peak saturation, but the Golden Arches are betting on the public's perennial lust for chicken.
The fast-food chain started testing the Chicken Big Mac (already a hit in the United Kingdom) in select Miami markets and, most recently, added a new chicken sandwich to its permanent menu in Canada.
Called the McCrispy, the new item is a simple chicken breast, lettuce, and mayo concoction that will also come in a "deluxe" version with bacon and tomato.
"We know guests love our classic chicken menu items, and we are excited to launch a new craveable crispy chicken sandwich," Rebecca Smart, who is the director of brand strategy marketing at McDonald's Canada, said in a statement. "The new McCrispy delivers on the great taste our guests have come to expect from McDonald's, and we believe this sandwich is truly 'Mc-worthy', and we can't wait for Canadians to try it."
Both the McCrispy and the McCrispy Bacon Deluxe will be available at McDonald's restaurants across Canada for $5.99 CAD (roughly $4.59 USD) from August 22 onwards as a permanent menu item.
Social media influencer Chris P (@bigdealcrispy on Instagram) has also been solicited to promote the sandwich.
Are There Too Many Fried Chicken Sandwiches Out There?
The McCrispy name is catchy and has already appeared in Singapore as the McCrispy Salt & Pepper. The Singapore one is, however, a completely different dish and not a sandwich at all, but a drumstick and thigh combo for $6.60 Singapore dollars ($4.71).
Across its different international franchises, bone-in chicken has practically been unheard of for McDonald's.
Chicken sandwiches, meanwhile, are about as common as they get and may have finally peaked in popularity as less-than-stellar versions emerge from companies that have never been known for their chicken.
Popeyes has also long been trying to develop something new as the craze passed and the once famed sandwich became just another menu item.
"Once they come up with things, it goes to sensory testing and eventually market testing and operational testing to see what kind of impact it will have on our franchisees and profitability," Popeyes President Sami Siddiqui told TheStreet in an exclusive interview back in May. "After that, it eventually goes to market. but that could be anywhere from a one- to three-year process."
