Wendy’s is selling a former McDonald’s fan-favorite item

By Jordan Valinsky, CNN

Fans who are missing McDonald’s “Snack Wraps” can soon get their fix at a rival.

Beginning Tuesday, in a move that could attract customers clamoring for the return of the fan-favorite food, Wendy’s is adding a new grilled chicken ranch wrap to its menu. For $6.29, Wendy’s said customers will get diced grilled chicken, shredded cheddar cheese, romaine lettuce and ranch sauce in a warm tortilla wrap.

Wendy’s wrap is slightly different from McDonald’s version, because the chain “didn’t want to mess around with a McBland snack wrap dupe,” said Carl Loredo, Wendy’s global chief marketing officer. He told CNN that grilled chicken is used in place of crispy chicken that was in McDonald’s wrap, because he said Wendy’s fans are looking for “lighter and more portable menu items.”

The new menu item is also a heartier version of the spicy chicken “Go Wrap” that Wendy’s discontinued in 2020, when several fast food chains were simplifying their menus because of Covid-19. Loredo said the new wrap is more of a meal, rather than a snack, and has the “freshness you see in our salads wrapped up in a portable offering.”

McDonald’s eliminated “Snack Wraps” in 2016 because franchisees reportedly complained that they were too complicated to make. Some franchisees continued to serve them until 2020 when McDonald’s phased them out completely.

Fans have long been demanding McDonald’s bring back their snack wraps, with a Change.org petition surpassing 17,000 signatures and daily mentions on Twitter asking for its return.

Last November, McDonald’s on Twitter joked about the wraps that “it’s easier to order snack wraps than it is to get these tickets,” sparking rumors that the food was returning, but the chain squashed that saying there are “no plans” to bring the item back.

Fast food chains are often battling for consumers’ attention, especially when many offer similar menu items. So, selling a beloved menu item could prove to be an advantage for Wendy’s against its much larger competitor. Of course, Wendy’s isn’t the only chain to serve wraps: Chicken-centric chains, including Kentucky Fried Chicken and Chick-fil-A, sell their own versions.

Also new to Wendy’s menu next week are a grilled chicken Cobb salad and a blueberry pomegranate lemonade that Loredo expects to become a social media hit because of its “unique purple hue.”

However, two menu items are disappearing: The grilled chicken sandwich and southwest avocado salad.

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