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A top executive at McDonald’s says the chain does not have plans to bring back plant-based options after a test of its McPlant burger in San Francisco and Dallas failed.
“It was not successful in either market,” Joe Erlinger, McDonald’s U.S. president, said during the Wall Street Journal Global Food Forum in Chicago on Wednesday.
American consumers are not coming to McDonald’s looking for a McPlant burger or other plant-based proteins, Erlinger added. The chain had previously partnered with Beyond Meat to make McPlant burgers and nuggets.
Plant-based items are off the menu for now, but Erlinger didn’t rule out the possibility that salads could one day make a return. That’ll depend on whether customer demand is there.
“If people really want salads from McDonald’s, we will gladly relaunch salads,” Erlinger said. “But what our experience has proven is that’s not what the consumer is looking for from McDonald’s.” Instead, consumers are looking for french fries, $5 meal deals, and hot, fresh sandwiches, he added.
On Tuesday, June 25, McDonald’s formally launched its $5 bundle, which is expected to last roughly four weeks. The deal includes the option of a McChicken or a McDouble, small fries and a small drink, and a four-count McNugget meal.
In the value meal wars, McDonald’s isn’t only banking on its bundle to win back consumers grappling with elevated inflation. The chain is also offering free french fries every Friday for the rest of 2024, so long as customers spend at least a $1 using the mobile app.
Other dining giants, including Wendy’s, Burger King, and Starbucks, have also launched their own promotional deals to get diners back.
Meanwhile, McDonald’s said it plans to focus on chicken, as the protein consumption drives demand.
“We sell more chicken today as a brand than we sell beef,” Erlinger, who worked as a manager at a McDonald’s location in Chicago when he was 30, said. “We’re poised to serve that trend well and that’s where we’re making investments.”