McDonald’s is bringing back its beloved Snack Wraps in 2025 after a nine-year absence, sending fans into a frenzy while expanding its chicken menu to capture more market share.
Key Takeaways
- McDonald’s U.S. president Joe Erlinger confirmed the Snack Wrap will return in 2025, citing its “cult following” and high customer demand.
- The popular menu item was first introduced in 2006 and discontinued in U.S. locations by 2016, with some restaurants offering it until 2020.
- McDonald’s is significantly expanding its chicken offerings, introducing a Chicken Big Mac and new chicken strips while aiming to gain another point of chicken market share by 2026.
- The company teased the return with a cryptic social media post showing “snack wraps 0x.14.2025,” revealing the day but not the month of its comeback.
- McDonald’s will roll out its McCrispy sandwich to nearly all markets globally by the end of 2025.
Fan Favorite Returns After Nearly a Decade
The long wait for McDonald’s Snack Wrap enthusiasts is finally coming to an end. After disappearing from U.S. menus in 2016, with some locations holding out until 2020, the popular handheld item will make its triumphant return in 2025. The original Snack Wrap, which debuted in 2006, featured crispy chicken breast meat, lettuce, cheese, and sauce wrapped in a soft flour tortilla. This convenient, portable meal option quickly developed what company executives now acknowledge as a dedicated “cult following” among customers.
McDonald’s generated significant buzz with a cryptic social media announcement that included the partial date “snack wraps 0x.14.2025,” revealing only that the item would return on the 14th day of an unspecified month in 2025. The post garnered massive attention, accumulating 1.4 million views and over 12,000 likes as fans speculated about the exact return date. Many have taken to social media platforms to guess June as the potential launch month, though McDonald’s remains tight-lipped about specifics.
snack wraps 0x.14.2025
— McDonald's (@McDonalds) April 15, 2025
Executive Confirmation and Customer Demand
McDonald’s USA President Joe Erlinger officially confirmed the return during an appearance on “Good Morning America”. “The Snack Wrap will be back in 2025. This has a cult following. I get so many emails into my inbox about this product. It will be back in 2025,” Erlinger stated. The executive’s confirmation validates years of customer campaigns, including a Change.org petition that gathered over 17,000 signatures demanding the item’s return.
CEO Christopher Kempczinski has also acknowledged the “incredible energy” surrounding the Snack Wrap’s comeback but remains carefully guarded about revealing too many details. “My U.S. team would kill me if I gave any more details about the when and the exact specifics of how we’re going to plan on doing that, but certainly expect that to come online later in the year,” Kempczinski noted during a recent earnings call, suggesting competitive reasons for the secrecy.
Broader Chicken Strategy Underway
The Snack Wrap return is just one component of McDonald’s broader strategy to expand its chicken offerings and increase market share in the highly competitive fast-food chicken segment. The company has publicly announced plans to add another point of chicken market share by the end of 2026 through a series of strategic menu additions and improvements. This ambitious goal reflects McDonald’s recognition of growing consumer preference for chicken options.
In addition to the Snack Wrap comeback, McDonald’s is introducing new chicken strip products in the U.S. later this year, though specific details remain under wraps. The company is also continuing to offer the Chicken Big Mac as a limited-time menu item, which has contributed to market share growth in both France and the United States. Meanwhile, the McCrispy sandwich is expanding globally, with plans to reach nearly all of McDonald’s 43,500 worldwide locations by the end of 2025.
Industry Impact and Competition
The immense popularity of McDonald’s Snack Wrap has influenced the entire fast-food industry. Competitors including Wendy’s, Taco Bell, and Burger King have all introduced similar products in an attempt to capture a share of the handheld wrap market. This competitive landscape partially explains McDonald’s reluctance to provide specific details about the relaunch. For a company operating over 13,500 U.S. locations, maintaining a strategic advantage is crucial to capitalizing on the anticipated customer enthusiasm.
The return of the Snack Wrap represents a significant acknowledgment of customer preferences and demonstrates McDonald’s willingness to respond to sustained consumer demand. After nearly a decade of waiting, fans have just a bit longer to wait before they can once again enjoy this popular menu item.
