In the past two years, a slew of fast-food restaurants have released contenders for the “chicken sandwich war.” On Wednesday February 24, McDonalds plans on joining them by dropping a new fried chicken sandwich that somewhat resembles the Popeyes chicken sandwich. Highly comparable to Popeyes chicken sandwich, the new McDonald’s sandwich includes pickles, a crispy chicken filet, and a savory sauce. McDonald’s anticipates dropping three versions of this sandwich: crispy, spicy, and deluxe!

The new sandwich comes with a tender filet made with all-white meat chicken, crinkle cut pickles, and a toasted, buttered potato roll. The Spicy version of this sandwich includes a Spicy Pepper Sauce and crinkle cut pickles on a toasted potato roll, while the Deluxe version contains shredded lettuce, Roma tomatoes, and mayo.  According to Joe Erlinger, president of McDonald’s USA, the new chicken sandwich can “jump-start our chicken journey,” noting that new chicken products may be in the works.

“I think that there will be hype over the new McDonald’s Chicken Sandwich and it will give them a bigger profit for a good 4-6 months but then the hype will slowly die down,” said NC Magnet sophomore Brennan Lewis.

The new chicken sandwich poses as a way to win back sales that the company lost to popular chicken chains. During the pandemic, McDonald’s sales for the quarter fell 2% to $5.42 billion. Due to shelter in place and the decrease in employees, McDonald’s struggled during mid and late 2020. The McDonald’s board hopes that this chicken sandwich increases sales and success just as it did for Chick-fil-A and Popeyes. 

“We’ve heard our customers loud and clear, and we know they’re craving more chicken options. We’re confident all chicken fans – from traditionalists to spice enthusiasts – will discover a new menu favorite they’ll come back for time and time again,” said Vice President of Menu Innovation, Linda VanGosen.

The new sandwich, along with faster drive-thrus and other changes, could help McDonald’s draw more traffic to its restaurants during the coronavirus pandemic and beyond. Customers can find the new Crispy Fried Chicken Sandwich at any participating restaurants nationwide via carry-out, drive- thru, the McDonald’s app, or McDelivery.