McDonald's puts operational excellence ahead of meeting customer wishes on its priority list. That's because people may want certain items to come back to the menu, but they would not actually be happy if the return of a past favorite slowed down the overall operation.
Like Domino's, McDonald's (MCD) -) seems to understand that customers may not always know best. Fans of the burger chain, for example, would love All-Day Breakfast to come back. The problem is that McDonald's does not have the space in its kitchens nor the equipment needed to offer Egg McMuffins, bagel sandwiches, hash browns, and other breakfast favorites all day.
DON'T MISS: McDonald's Menu Finally Adding Beloved Global Favorite
Basically, the chain understands that customers may want a year-round Shamrock Shake or the return of some favored menu items from the past, but actually giving them what they want would cause additional problems. That's why despite fans overwhelmingly wanting the chain to bring back its Snack Wraps in the United States, it has not done that.
That's despite the fact that Snack Wraps remain on the menu in Canada and in select markets around the world. Now, Restaurant Brands International's (QSR) -) Burger King has its own take on the classic Snack Wrap, and it's bringing them to Canada, which often stands as the step before a US introduction.
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Burger King Adds Its Take On a Snack Wrap
McDonald's dropped the Snack Wrap because franchisees complained that it slowed down kitchen production. Perhaps Canadian franchisees don't complain as much as Americans, or maybe they're customers are more willing to wait to get what they want, but the Snack Wrap has been a fixture on Canadian McDonald's menus.
Now, Burger King has added three versions of its not-so-cleverly-named "BK Wraps" to menus across Canada, Fast Food Post reported.
- Spicy Chicken Wrap: A seasoned and breaded chicken fillet, lettuce, tomato, and Angry Sauce wrapped in a soft tortilla.
- Ranch Chicken Wrap: A seasoned and breaded chicken fillet, lettuce, tomato, and creamy ranch sauce wrapped in a soft tortilla.
- Butter Chicken Wrap: A seasoned and breaded chicken fillet, lettuce, tomato, and butter chicken sauce wrapped in a soft tortilla.
The wraps cost $3.99 Canadian (roughly about $3).
Snacks Expand Sales Across Slower Parts of the Day
Part of the reason McDonald's has spent heavily on its McCafe coffeehouse-style lineup is that it expands its offerings outside of the normal meal hours. People order coffee and pastry in-between meal hours and selling those items helps the chain take in more money during the slower parts of the day.
In theory, it could also offer Snack Wraps during those hours when the kitchen is less busy. That, however, is not a great solution as the chain's customers have shown that they're not big fans of items being available only at certain times (just visit any chain during the breakfast-to-lunch transition to see that).
That makes it unlikely that McDonald's would ever offer snacks (or Snack Wraps) limited to certain hours of the day. In reality, McDonald's is working to make its global operations as efficient as possible, so food items that require bespoke systems probably will be eliminated not rolled out into new markets.
"With Accelerating the Organization, we're now structured to work much more seamlessly in a horizontal fashion to solve these problems once and then scale solutions across markets, for example, is our app offering a seamless and personalized user experience. We're continuing to increase our speed of service. Those are opportunities across every single market and require the expertise of multiple functions," CEO Chris Kempczinski said during the chain's first-quarter earnings call.
Sadly, that likely means if you want a Snack Wrap in the US that Burger King expanding its line from Canada to its home market might be your best hope.
