McDonald's New Mighty Wings Should Terrify The Competition

The chicken wings are just what McDonald's needs to get new customers in stores, reports Mark Brandau at Nation's Restaurant News.

The menu item, which launches nationally September 9, did exceptionally well when the company tested it in Atlanta, according to Brandau.

The fast food space has become increasingly competitive for cash-strapped customers, Scott Hume at Burger Business told Business Insider.

But McDonald's Mighty Wings are a "whole different galaxy" than the competition's new items, Hume said.

"Anyone can do nuggets or tenders and almost all burger chains do, but Mighty Wings are different because they're bone-in chicken," Hume told us. "They're also tougher to source in large numbers but McDonald's has the clout to do it."

Wendy's latest new menu offering is a burger with a pretzel bun and cheddar sauce. Burger King's "french fry burger" is simply a normal burger topped with four french fries.

The McWings also mean that McDonald's is threatening chicken-heavy fast food companies like Popeye's, Chick-Fil-A, and KFC, Hume told us.

While other fast food companies can't compete with McWings, the item isn't expected to threaten traditional wings chains like Buffalo Wild Wings.

Buffalo Wild Wings customers won't be lured by McWings because they want to watch sports and drink beer, Morgan Stanley analysts said in a note.