New McDonald’s chicken sandwich will compete with Popeyes, Chick-fil-A. What to know
The chicken sandwich wars are far from over, if McDonald’s has anything to say about it.
The restaurant chain is adding a Crispy Chicken Sandwich to menus in the U.S. — and it will arrive in early 2021, the company told investors Monday, CNBC reported.
McDonald’s tested the Crispy Chicken Sandwich in select restaurants in Texas, Tennessee, Kentucky and Virginia last year, along with the Deluxe Crispy Chicken Sandwich.
“We need to stay focused on coming up with a chicken sandwich our customers are going to crave,” McDonald’s National Owners Association (NOA) wrote in an internal message in January, Business Insider reported. “A chicken sandwich that gives our customers another reason to visit McDonald’s.”
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This won’t be the first chicken sandwich at the Golden Arches — McDonald’s already serves the McChicken sandwich.
The release will put the Crispy Chicken Sandwich in direct competition with Popeyes, which made a splash last year when it took on Chick-fil-A with the release of its own chicken sandwich.
This kicked off what’s since been dubbed the “chicken sandwich wars.”
In the months that followed, several restaurant chains released their own chicken sandwiches, including Wendy’s, Church’s Chicken and Whataburger.
McDonald’s released its third quarter earnings results Monday, and saw an increase in same-store sales which it attributes to celebrity collaborations — such as the Travis Scott meal — and the release of spicy chicken nuggets, its first new nugget flavor in decades, CNBC reported.
Looking ahead, McDonald’s also plans to launch “MyMcDonald’s” in six markets by the end of 2021, which aims to streamline its app and digital menus to make it easier for customers to order and pay, according to the outlet. It also plans to test a loyalty program in the Phoenix area.
McDonald’s said it will also test restaurants that only take delivery and pick-up orders, CNN reported, as well as automated order-taking in drive-thrus and express pickup lanes.
This story was originally published November 9, 2020 at 8:06 AM with the headline "New McDonald’s chicken sandwich will compete with Popeyes, Chick-fil-A. What to know."