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Ronald is trying to beat up Jared with McDonald’s new Chicken McWraps. Meanwhile, the ghost of Dave Thomas is looking to take a bite out of Subway’s flatbread game with Wendy’s new Grilled Chicken Flatbread sandwiches.
Wraps and flatbread sandwiches are a hot commodity right now because people assume they are more healthy. While that’s not true, especially in the case of Subway where flatbread is the third worst of the eight standard bread options, fast-food joints are more than willing to let people go on believing it. It gives people an excuse to eat junk food while pretending like they aren’t shoveling fat and calories into their mouth.
McDonald’s newest ploy is the Chicken McWrap. They are available in three flavors: Chicken and Bacon, Sweet Chili Chicken, and Chicken & Ranch. Adding bacon or ranch is a sure-fire way to make something delicious, albeit unhealthy. They can either be grilled or friend, which is what causes the caloric range to run from 360 to 600 calories. The big news is that they will have cucumbers. Hooray cucumbers!
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Over at Wendy’s, the literal red-headed stepchild of the fast-food world, they are introducing Flatbread Grilled Chicken Sandwiches. Those will be available in Asiago Ranch and Honey Mustard, with 530 and 370 calories respectively. For reference, a Wendy’s single (quarter-pounder) with cheese is 580 calories. So while the Asiago flatbread is lower, it’s not a huge difference. It’s actually the same number of calories as the Spicy Chicken Sandwich, which I think we can all agree is the best item on the menu.
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These may not be groundbreaking items or the healthiest option, but it does show that fast-food giants are susceptible to market pressure. The new items are both in classes that have overwhelmingly been held by restaurants like Subway and KFC. More options are always a good idea, as long as it’s not adding for the sake of adding. I certainly intend to try them out.