McDonald's is killing the menu item it created to take down Subway
McDonald'sMcDonald's is cutting wraps, a former health-food favorite, from the menu.
The fast-food chain began phasing out large and snack-sized wraps in US locations last summer, reports Bloomberg.
The menu cut comes just three years after McDonald's introduced Premium McWraps in 2013. At the time, McDonald's internally called the product a "Subway buster," intended to appeal to millennials seeking healthier products.
Of course, today it is clear that it wasn't Subway that McDonald's needed to worry about in the world of healthy food. The fast-casual industry has exploded, bringing with it a fresh, new understanding of what young consumers want when it comes to nutrition.
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Chains such as Chipotle and Panera have contributed to the elevation of all-natural and fresh foods, as opposed to a focus on lower-calorie options. In the last few years, this new emphasis has lead to chains including Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and Subway announcing plans to cut artificial ingredients. Even McDonald's has made adjustments, announcing plans to remove all antibiotics vital to fighting human infections from its chicken supply in 2015.
Ultimately, antibiotic-free chicken, as well as higher-quality Create Your Taste burgers and all-day breakfast have done more to change millennials' negative opinion of McDonald's than the McWrap.
Bloomberg reports that the wraps never took off with many customers, and created more work for McDonald's employees. As McDonald's works to simplify its menu and speed up service, wraps simply didn't make the cut.