The highly anticipated return of McDonald’s beloved Snack Wrap on July 10 has led to an immediate and significant surge in sales across U.S. locations, according to company statements and industry reports. This remarkable resurgence, however, has also presented operational challenges, including temporary shortages of key ingredients such as shredded lettuce.
The reintroduction of the Snack Wrap, a menu item discontinued for nearly a decade, saw customer traffic increase by double digits each day from July 10 to July 12, the initial three days following its debut. This data, compiled by Placer.ai, indicates a substantial uptick compared to the year-to-date daily average for McDonald’s establishments.
Reports indicate that visits to McDonald’s locations were 11.4% higher than the usual average for that specific day of the week, underscoring the immediate popularity of the revived item. The unprecedented demand for the Snack Wrap quickly began to impact ingredient supplies.
The most notable effect was a severe hit to the stock of shredded lettuce, a core component of the Snack Wrap. According to a company message obtained by The Wall Street Journal, some fast-food locations experienced issues with their lettuce supply last week due to the intense demand.
To manage this unexpected strain on resources, McDonald’s advised affected U.S. franchisees to temporarily cease adding shredded lettuce to other menu items, specifically McChicken sandwiches. This directive aimed to preserve the limited leafy green supply for the immensely popular Snack Wraps.
Restaurant operators were further instructed that if customers expressed dissatisfaction with a lettuce-free McChicken, employees should suggest alternative items such as McNuggets or the McDouble burger. This measure highlighted the immediate need to prioritize the new, in-demand offering.
Employee accounts from various locations shed light on the on-the-ground impact of these shortages. One employee reported, “We are out of lettuce and it wasn’t on the truck. I hope they get lettuce soon!” This sentiment was echoed by another who shared that a “big boss (one of the corporate guys) went and bought like 30 bags of shred and brought it to us yesterday. We had 5 this morning when we switched to breakfast.”
The ingredient challenges extended beyond just lettuce. Some McDonald’s restaurants also experienced temporary shortages of crispy chicken strips, a key component now featured as the new McCrispy Strip in the revived wrap. An employee shared an image of a screen indicating multiple unavailable menu items, remarking, “In the 3-ish years I have been at McDonald’s, I have never experienced a shortage like this to the point that some of our regular items have been removed from the menu…”
Another critical ingredient, the flour tortilla that encases the wrap, also faced scarcity, leading to what one employee dramatically termed a “Tortilla Extinction Event.” This shortage resulted in disappointed customers being turned away at some locations. An anonymous employee on Reddit recounted, “Snack Wraps Gone! (USA). They ran out of line an hour before I clocked out, I lost like two people because they were here for the wraps and we do not have them!”
Further confirmation of supply chain strain came from an employee who stated, “I had to pick up an emergency shipment that was sent to another store. 6 cases of tortillas and 3 of lettuce. Just in time because we were out of tortillas in the back.” This illustrates the urgent measures taken to keep up with demand.
Shredded cheese, another essential ingredient for the Snack Wrap, also ran out in some restaurants. An anonymous employee reported, “We sold out too! No more lettuce or shredded cheese until today’s shipment, we couldn’t even fulfill Big Mac and other burgers with lettuce.” This particular employee recalled a customer who wanted twenty wraps but could only receive four due to the cheese shortage, ultimately opting for Taco Bell.
Despite these initial hurdles, McDonald’s has stated that the ingredient deficiencies were temporary and quickly resolved. The company acknowledged that while it had stocked up on supplies in accordance with projections for the Snack Wrap launch, “the sheer number of customers that showed up led the ingredients to run out quickly.”
In a statement, the Golden Arches expressed overwhelming satisfaction with the consumer response. A spokesperson told NBC News, “We’ve been blown away by the response, from packed restaurants with lines out the door to nonstop social buzz.” This sentiment was reiterated, emphasizing that “After nine years of pent up demand, fans showed up in full force to celebrate the return of the Snack Wrap.”
The Snack Wrap originally made its debut on McDonald’s menus nationwide in 2006. It was initially composed of fried or grilled chicken strips, shredded lettuce, shredded cheese, and either ranch or honey mustard sauce, all encased in a flour tortilla. The item quickly gained a loyal following.
However, in 2016, McDonald’s began phasing out the Snack Wrap from its menu, a decision that sparked widespread outrage and appeals from its devoted fanbase. Former and current employees cited reasons such as the item being too complicated and time-consuming to prepare relative to its cost, impacting operational efficiencies.
By 2020, the Snack Wrap had been completely removed from McDonald’s restaurants across the country, though some individual franchises managed to continue making and selling them for several years beyond the official discontinuation. This enduring presence in limited locations underscored its lingering popularity.
The clamor for the Snack Wrap’s return never truly subsided. For years, fans actively campaigned for its revival, creating online petitions—one on Change.org garnered over 17,000 signatures—and inundating McDonald’s with countless posts and messages across social media platforms.
McDonald’s Senior Marketing Director Guillaume Huin directly attributed the Snack Wrap’s return to this persistent fan engagement. On X, Huin acknowledged, “If you ever wonder if your posts here matter, if they have an impact, if we even care, let me tell you something, you and you only with your countless posts and requests and petitions made it happen.”
Huin elaborated on the internal impact of this fan advocacy, stating, “They were in all our meetings, all our discussions, every single PowerPoint to make a case for it. You won, snack wrap fans. Thank you.” He further revealed that Snack Wraps were “BY FAR, our most requested items of all time.” In the run-up to the re-release, McDonald’s even published a series of internal emails, dubbed the “Snack Wrap Files,” showcasing fan pleas, including one from March that read, “Please, I am begging you,” under the subject line “BRING BACK THE SNACKWRAP.”
Today’s Snack Wrap features the new McCrispy Strip, made with all white meat, topped with crisp shredded lettuce and shredded cheese, all wrapped in a soft flour tortilla. The current offerings come in two distinct flavors: Spicy and Ranch.
The Spicy flavor is described as bold, zesty, and unapologetically fiery, delivering a habanero kick familiar to fans of the Spicy McCrispy sandwich. The Ranch flavor provides a smooth, rich, and irresistibly savory experience, with subtle hints of garlic and onion, according to the official Snack Wrap Files.
The reintroduction launched at an attractive national price point of $2.99 per individual wrap. McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski confirmed at the company’s second-quarter earnings call that this price is expected to be maintained and advertised in the U.S. at least through the end of the year.
Kempczinski stated, “We launched Snack Wraps with an attractive $2.99 nationally advertised price point and early results are encouraging.” He added, “Our franchisees also recognize the importance of the $2.99 price point, and we’re excited to announce that they recently voted to extend this advertising through the end of the year.”
The immense popularity of the Snack Wrap has secured it a permanent place on the menu, with McDonald’s confirming on its “Snack Wrap Files” website that it will be available for “as long as you keep enjoying it at McDonald’s.” This commitment signifies a long-term strategic move for the chain.
The return of the Snack Wrap comes at a strategic time for McDonald’s. The company had previously reported a 3.6% year-over-year drop in U.S. sales during its last financial quarter, marking its worst performance since the early days of the pandemic. The Snack Wrap’s reintroduction was a deliberate bid to “woo customers back under the Arches.”
The overwhelming demand for the Snack Wrap echoes a similar phenomenon seen in the fast-food industry in 2019, when Popeyes introduced its chicken sandwich. Popeyes had anticipated a two-month supply of materials, which was exhausted in just two weeks due to exploding social media chatter and customer frenzy. The company even resorted to encouraging customers to bring their own buns.
While McDonald’s may be recognized for the “OG Snack Wrap,” it is no longer the sole purveyor of such a menu item. Wendy’s, for instance, introduced its own version of a similar treat in 2023, indicating a broader trend in the fast-food market.
Customer behavior following the Snack Wrap’s return has been indicative of the intense pent-up demand. Reports describe “packed restaurants with lines out the door,” and individual customers were frequently observed ordering multiple wraps in a single transaction, sometimes as many as five to ten per order, particularly via drive-thru, mobile orders, and DoorDash.
The success of the Snack Wrap’s return clearly demonstrates the formidable influence of consumer demand and social media advocacy on corporate decisions. This resurgence marks a significant chapter in McDonald’s history, showcasing the power of a dedicated fanbase to bring back a cherished menu item. As the Snack Wrap settles into its permanent menu spot, its journey serves as a compelling narrative of listening to the customer, adapting to their preferences, and reaping the benefits of a truly beloved product.
