McDonald’s leans into AI and new menu items to attract customers

Published 6d ago · Updated 5d ago

Covered in 2 countries

AI summary53s readNeutral

McDonald's is pivoting to fried chicken to combat soaring beef costs and stagnant sales.

McDonald's is pivoting aggressively toward chicken products to revive sluggish sales and counter soaring beef prices that have compressed profit margins. As part of a broader multi-billion dollar modernization initiative, the fast-food giant aims to capture a larger share of the global chicken market by introducing hand-breaded items and targeting younger consumers. This menu shift follows successful international tests of the hand-breaded chicken line, which notably boosted both consumer satisfaction ratings and overall restaurant sales.

The restaurant chain announced an investment plan totaling billions to modernize its outlets and overhaul its menu offerings.
Executives reported that testing for the new hand-breaded poultry item is already active across thousands of locations in Asia and select domestic spots.
The corporate strategy specifically seeks to capture an additional percentage point and a half of market share in the poultry sector.
Shifting consumer demographics, particularly younger diners moving away from red meat, have driven the urgency behind the pivot.

Written from 3 of 4 outlets — 1 has since joined this story.

By the numbers

8.5billion dollars modernization push

10,000restaurants testing hand-breaded chicken

1.5percentage points of chicken market share target

Why it matters

Fast-food operators face intense margin pressures as commodity inflation makes beef increasingly expensive, forcing menu engineering toward cheaper poultry proteins.

What outlets agree on

McDonald's is pivoting toward chicken products to address soaring beef costs and sluggish sales, utilizing hand-breaded recipes and targeting younger consumers as part of a major modernization effort.

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In this story

McDonald'schicken marketbeef pricesKFCYoung people

Covered by 4 outlets

75% of the sources are Left

75%25%

Lean ratings via Ad Fontes Media, AllSides

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