Imagine your appetite being all set for your favorite McDonald's taste treat, but the counter clerk says they don't have what you want. You'll have to settle for something else.
That's what's happening at McDonald's around the world as the restaurant chain is running low on a favorite item that has forced them to remove it from the menu.
In countries like Japan, Indonesia, Taiwan and Malaysia people wanting a large order of french fries, sometimes a medium order, can't get them.
McDonald's restaurants in these countries are facing a shortage of french fries, requiring them to eliminate large and, in some cases, medium-size fries from their menus until the shortage subsides, according to the company.
McDonald's Indonesia announced on Twitter last Sunday that, due to the limited availability of french fries, large orders would be temporarily unavailable starting Feb. 2, but diners could still order medium fries.
McDonald's Malaysia on Jan. 24 stopped offering large McValue Meals and large fries, according to its website.
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McDonald's Has a Fry Supply Issue
"We are facing a fry-tening supply crunch on French Fries. But fret not. While you can't Go Large for the time being, you can still enjoy your favourite meals and fries in Medium size. Time fries...It'll be back before you know it," the company said.
In Japan, sales of french fries have been limited to small sizes since Dec. 24, according to McDonald's Holdings Company Japan.
The impact of massive flooding near the Port of Vancouver in Canada, which is a transit point for imported potatoes from North America, and the covid-19 pandemic's disruptive effects on the supply chain are credited for causing the shortage of french fries, McDonald's Holdings Company Japan said in its January Monthly IR News.
McDonald's Has a Global French Fry Problem
McDonald's restaurants in Asia and the Pacific region may be affected by the potato shortage for months to come as a combination of a backup of shipping containers from the effects of the pandemic and record-setting rains in mid-November that caused flooding and landslides near the Port of Vancouver, have disrupted the supply chain. The weather conditions led to obstacles for roads, bridges and train tracks, that cut off North America's third-largest trade hub from the rest of the continent, Fortune reported.
In another potato-related menu item disruption, McDonald's Taiwan on Jan. 24 returned the breakfast hash brown to its menu in full supply after removing the menu item last year over a shortage.
The french fries shortage appears to be an offshore issue as McDonald's has not reported any issues with fries at any of its U.S. restaurants. The company didn't even mention any issues with supply chain disruptions during its fourth-quarter 2021 earnings call on Jan. 27. The company's CEO Christopher Kempczinski even boasted about the "might of our scale and supply chain" in the earnings call.
"The past 12 months continue to demonstrate what makes McDonald's different, the strength of our people, the might of our scale and supply chain, the agility of our system, the importance of local ownership operating in the communities we serve and the power of the McDonald's brand," Kempczinski said in the earnings call transcript from Seeking Alpha.
