McDonald's is trying to expand its footprint in the fast-growing breakfast segment. The food chain on Tuesday said that it will be adding two new chicken sandwiches to its breakfast menu across all its restaurants in the US for a limited time. The announcement comes just a day before the company reports its fourth-quarter results.
McDonald's decision to introduce two new chicken sandwiches is in a bid to cash in on an Americans' growing appetite for chicken sandwiches and at the same time fend competition from rivals like Popeyes. Lately, McDonald's has been trying to add a lot of new items in its menu, which also includes a push towards vegan and plant-based burgers and non-diary proteins.
McDonald's tries to capture breakfast segment
McDonald's on Tuesday said that it will add two new chicken sandwiches — Chicken McGriddles and McChicken Biscuit — to its breakfast menu in all US restaurants starting this week for a limited period. The two variants were so long available at limited regional markets only.
McDonald's has been a dominant player in the breakfast category and keeps experiments with new products from time to time. The company, according to Barclays, enjoys 25% of the total market share in the breakfast category. However, it lately been facing completion from rivals like Chick-fil-A and Popeyes.
Chick-fil-A and Popeyes have been enjoying popularity lately because of their chicken sandwiches, while McDonald's despite testing various chicken sandwiches have failed to attract too many with its products. Understandably, the addition of two new chicken sandwich variants is in a bid to compete with its rivals.
McDonald's tries to compete
McDonald's has always been a dominant player in the fast food category despite a number of new players entering the market in recent years. At the same time, the fast food giant has also been experiment with its menu lately. "We're giving our customers more of what they crave: mouthwatering chicken and breakfast options," Linda VanGosen, McDonald's vice president of menu innovation, said in a statement.
McDonald's has also been trying chicken crispy sandwiches in Texas. However, it has somewhat lost out to players like Popeyes and Chick-fil-A in the chicken category. Understandably, the company is under pressure to retain its position as the market leader in the breakfast segment. The menu penetration of fried chicken breakfast sandwiches have grown 257% in the past four years.
McDonald' has also been lately trying a lot of vegan products that include plant-based burgers and non-diary proteins. At the same time, a number of players are also adding chicken to their breakfast menu. Wendy's, which will be offering breakfast across the US later this year, will include Honey Butter Chicken Biscuit and Maple Bacon Chicken Croissant. In fact, the Golden Arches is also planning to add more chicken items to its menu.
