McDonald's Is Cutting A Ton Of Menu Items

The fast food giant will remove eight items and five extra-value meals from the menu next month, reports Julie Jargon at The Wall Street Journal.

It's unclear which items will be eliminated.

McDonald's is also in the process of studying every ingredient and process on its current menu, WSJ reports.

The fast-food giant's sales are declining, with the overloaded menu being cited as a major problem.

McDonald's menu has grown 70% since 2007. The new menu items are a burden on employees and have helped contribute to long wait times. Franchisees are also angry about the overloaded menu, saying that the extra ingredients and equipment were costing them money.

CEO Don Thompson stressed that the restaurant was going back-to-basics in a recent call with investors.

"We are streamlining our merchandising menu board and product offerings and in addition to making it easier for customer to order their favorite products, this will reduce complexity in our restaurants which in turn should enhance accuracy and speed of service," he said.

McDonald's eliminated its Angus Third Pounder burgers from the menu last year.

At the same time, it has added items like the McWrap, Blueberry Pomengranate smoothie, and Egg White Delight breakfast sandwich.

The chain has also been focused on allowing customers to build their own burger with toppings.