McDonald's bets big on chicken to counter sales slump

Fast food companies are battling a decline in sales. One of them, McDonald's, has decided to change its menu to improve the situation. Soon, a new chicken burger will appear in American restaurants.

CNN reports that to improve results, some companies are introducing special offers, while others are completely revamping their menus. Meanwhile, the giant in the fast food industry—McDonald's—is focusing on "the driving force of growth, which will be provided by chicken."

McDonald's believes that expanding its menu to include chicken dishes will positively affect the company's situation because poultry is expected to be cheaper than beef. Additionally, McDonald's CEO, Chris Kempczinski, pointed out that sales of chicken dishes are at the same level as beef dishes.

Therefore, the company decided to introduce a new burger to American restaurants. On 10 October 2024, the Chicken Big Mac will debut. It is the equivalent of the iconic Big Mac but with chicken, which will be available for a limited time.

This is not the first time McDonald's has focused on chicken. CNN recalls that the Chicken Big Mac was already sold in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Miami to assess if it met customer expectations. It turned out that the British loved this variant of the iconic burger—it sold out in just 10 days.

The difficult situation for McDonald's is confirmed by the data—the chain recorded a sales decline in the second quarter of 2024. This was the first such instance in 13 quarters, or three years.

According to the company's financial reports published in July 2024, globally sales dropped by 1 per cent, while expectations predicted a 0.5 per cent increase. This is the result of a sales decline in the United States by 0.7 per cent, in foreign markets by 1.1 per cent, and in markets operated by licensees by 1.3 per cent.