McDonald’s Will Finally Enter The Fried Chicken Sandwich Wars Next Year

Fifteen months ago, Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen took the fast-food world by storm by introducing its fried chicken sandwich.

It faced down Chick-fil-A, the industry’s chicken leader, and sparked the frenzied fried chicken sandwich wars, making fast food history in the process.

But, there was one competitor conspicuous by its absence: McDonald’s

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.

Sure, McDonald’s had chicken sandwich offerings, and in the interim, it rolled out various types of chicken menu items, including the spicy McNuggets that joined its lineup last month, and a breakfast chicken biscuit.

However, those choices haven’t matched the buzz that Popeyes created, or the juicy generous sandwich in its lineup.

The wait will end soon. On Monday, McDonald’s said that it will finally roll out a competitive chicken sandwich across the U.S. in early 2021.

It will be a new version of its Crispy Chicken Sandwich, which McDonald’s tested last December and January in several parts of the country.

The McDonald’s fried chicken sandwich will be part of a new corporate strategy, “Accelerating the Arches,” which is meant to expand the company’s use of technology as well as update its menu.

The company plans to focus on burgers, chicken and coffee. But demand for chicken is growing faster than beef, company officials said in an investor briefing.

“Chicken is the heart of our growth strategy,” said Joe Erlinger, the president of McDonald’s U.S. operations.

He called a “more satisfying chicken sandwich” the company’s biggest growth opportunity.

The new sandwich will have chicken, a potato roll, pickles and butter. “It will get people to start looking at us differently,” Erlinger said.

He went on, “That is how we will start to build our chicken credibility, and make sure we are known for our chicken credibility as well as our burgers.”

McDonald’s franchisees have been begging the company to seriously challenge Chick-fil-A for more than a year.

The excitement over the Popeyes sandwich only heightened the company’s lack of a competitive offering, even though the franchise holders said they were happy with the Southern Style Chicken Sandwich, which McDonald’s discontinued a few years ago.

It isn’t clear why McDonald’s has taken so long, but the company also has lagged behind its competitors in introducing a plant-based burger.

It launched one in Canada last year, only to quietly discontinue it in April.

However, on Tuesday McDonald’s also said it is developing a line called “McPlant,” which will extend across burgers and breakfast.

Some markets will test the items next year, the company said.

During the wait for a chicken sandwich, McDonald’s has revived previous hits, and modified existing ones. Last month, it brought back an old standby, the McRib.

That came after McDonald’s rolled out the spicy nuggets in September. They were its first variation on the fried chicken nibbles since they were introduced in 1983.

In other news, McDonald’s said it is joining a growing trend among fast food and coffee companies by developing drive-thru only outlets.

It’s also testing Express

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pickup, where customers can pull up to special parking spaces and fetch their orders, and lanes where customers can place orders on mobile apps and collect their food without getting out of the car.

Meanwhile, it is planning to roll out a loyalty program, called My McDonald’s Rewards, in Phoenix before the end of the year.

The loyalty program will be expanded to its six biggest markets by end of 2021. They are the U.S., the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Germany and France.