Inside McDonald’s Decision To Bring Back Snack Wraps for Good
McDonald's wanted to bring back the Snack Wraps for economic reasons.
For nearly a decade, McDonald’s customers have begged the Golden Arches to resurrect the Snack Wrap. Change.org petitions, Facebook groups, and TikTok taste-tests of overseas versions kept the pressure on long after the chicken-and-cheese handheld left U.S. menus in 2016. Now the wait is over: The chain confirmed that the Snack Wrap is making a permanent return nationwide on July 10, 2025.
From Fan Petition to Boardroom: Demand That Wouldn’t Quit
When McDonald’s R&D teams tallied the numbers, they saw 19,000 petition signatures, millions of social video views, and steady drive-thru requests for an item employees could no longer ring up. Company president Joe Erlinger calls the comeback “a testament” to listening to fans, publicly answering with the now-viral statement, “It’s back. 7.10.25.”
Why McDonald’s Pulled the Snack Wrap in 2016
The original wrap — featuring grilled or crispy chicken, lettuce, shredded cheese, and ranch — met consumer tastes but clogged production lines. As late-night orders piled in, assembling made-to-order wraps slowed kitchens that were calibrated for burgers and fries. Ultimately, operational complexity, not sales, doomed the product.
Operations 2.0: Making the Wrap Kitchen-Friendly Again
This time, engineers redesigned the menu item to maintain the speed of service. First came McCrispy Strips, a peppery, all-white-meat strip that fries in the same vats as nuggets, limiting new equipment needs. Launched nationally in May, the strip now forms the Snack Wrap’s core. Second, new tortillas, staging racks, and concise build steps were rolled into crew training at 13,500 U.S. restaurants.
“With this being one of our most highly anticipated menu items, we knew we had one chance to knock it out of the park. It had to be easy for crew to execute,” Erlinger says, according to The Associated Press.
A Strategic Play for Value-Seeking and Health-Mindful Diner
At roughly half the price of a premium sandwich combo, the Snack Wrap targets inflation-weary guests trading down or skipping visits altogether. It’s approximately 300 calories (exact nutrition to be posted closer to launch); also, they check the “better-for-you” box for consumers who might otherwise bypass quick-service aisles.
“I’m not actually a fast-food fan, but Snack Wraps felt different, like I was eating an actual ‘wrap.’ I felt like I was being healthier,” Florida counselor Steve Davis, who once bought six grilled wraps at a time for meal prep, said.
Positioning in the Intensifying Fast-Food Chicken Wars
Chicken is where the growth is: U.S. chicken sales nearly double beef and are accelerating faster globally. Rivals smell opportunity.
Popeyes rolled out its own Chicken Wrap a day before McDonald’s announcement and immediately lobbed social-media shade, while Burger King and Wendy’s launched their versions last year. Even convenience chain Wawa is pushing handheld chicken. By reclaiming its trailblazing wrap, McDonald’s aims to defend its share and remind customers it can still set, not just follow, poultry trends.
What’s Inside the New Permanent Snack Wrap Lineup
Beginning July 10, guests can order Snack Wraps à la carte or in a two-wrap combo with fries and a drink:
- Ranch Snack Wrap: McCrispy Strip, shredded lettuce, cheddar-jack cheese, classic buttermilk ranch with garlic and onion notes, served on a flour tortilla.
- Spicy Snack Wrap: Same build, finished with a habanero-forward spicy sauce inspired by the Spicy McCrispy sandwich.
Each wrap leverages identical SKUs across kitchens, part of the operational streamlining that green-lit the comeback.
Digital Hype: The Snack Wrap Files
To keep momentum sizzling, McDonald’s launched “The Snack Wrap Files,” an interactive microsite featuring archival ads, fan stories, and a countdown clock. Expect limited-edition merch drops and AR filters designed for TikTok and Instagram — the channels that helped fuel the product’s renaissance.
Measuring Success After Launch Day
Unlike “limited-time only” plays, McDonald’s pledges the Snack Wrap is “back for good, as long as you keep enjoying it.” Internal KPIs will focus on incrementality:
- Incremental traffic from value and snack occasions.
- Attachment rate (next-best item purchased with a wrap).
- Kitchen throughput (seconds per car in drive-thru).
- Digital engagement on the Snack Wrap Files hub.
If metrics hit, analysts predict the wrap could contribute up to 2 percentage points of U.S. same-store sales in H2 2025 — no small feat for a single SKU.
