Dive Brief:
- McDonald’s has enhanced its chicken menu with a new Special Edition Gold Sauce, available for a limited time starting Sept. 3, the company said in a website post Tuesday.
- The Special Edition Gold Sauce blends North Carolina barbecue with honey, smoke and mustard flavors, the company said. The brand will add several items to highlight the sauce’s debut, including a Bacon Special Edition Gold McCrispy Sandwich and a deluxe sandwich with shredded lettuce and roma tomatoes. It will also offer a version of the Snack Wrap and McCrispy Strips.
- The new sauce and the emphasis on chicken are part of the chain’s ongoing plan to innovate and grow that menu category. Earlier this year, it launched McCrispy Strips and brought back the Snack Wrap, which has helped drive sales and traffic.
Dive Insight:
During the second quarter, McDonald’s increased its chicken market share across 10 of its markets and is on track to grow its global chicken share by 100 basis points by the end of 2026, CFO Ian Borden said during the chain’s Q2 2025 earnings call.
In the U.S., the chain is already seeing significant successes with new chicken menu items. The May launch of its McCrispy Strips led to high levels of consumer satisfaction, Borden said. Traffic jumped by double-digits in the days following the Snack Wrap relaunch in mid-July. The McCrispy Strips contributed to the chain’s 2.5% U.S. same-store sales increase during the second quarter, momentum that is likely continuing into the third quarter with the Snack Wrap.
Outside of the U.S., the chain has seen significant success with other chicken items, meaning there is still plenty of opportunity to innovate in the U.S. In Australia, for example, the chain grew its chicken market share with its Hot Honey Chicken campaign that offered McCrispy and McSpicy options. It also introduced McWings in Australia in June as a permanent item, and its performance is so far exceeding expectations.
Other QSRs have been enhancing their chicken menus with new flavors and sauces, including Popeyes’ first first Signature dipping sauce, which debuted in July. KFC is also expanding its Saucy by KFC concept, which focuses on chicken tenders, sauces and drinks, following a strong performance in its pilot location. Wendy’s plans to launch chicken tenders during the fourth quarter with six new sauces.
