After taking the crown as America's favorite fast food restaurant three years in a row, Chick-fil-A has proven chicken is truly the way to America's heart (and stomach). But what does that mean for other fast food chains like McDonald's, which, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index, has surprisingly fallen to the bottom of the barrel?
CNBC reports that a year after forming the National Owner's Association (NOA), McDonald's franchisees have insisted that a high-quality chicken sandwich be a "top priority," and they are requesting owners integrate this item into their nationwide menu. In an email to the board, NOA explained that while they obviously have been successful with their chicken nugget and chicken tender products, they still lack a product that is comparable to Chick-fil-A's chicken sandwich.
Now, to be fair, McDonald's has taken a stab at a competitive product before. From 2005 to 2015, a Southern Style Chicken Sandwich was on the menu, but it clearly didn't do well enough to stay there. Since then, the company has been working hard to test a new Ultimate Chicken Sandwich "at more than 160 locations in Washington state." Not bad.
Still, NOA has some suggestions for improvement. Franchisees have noted that this time around, they should take a note from their competitor's famous chicken sandwich, by "[serving] it in a foil bag" and "[buttering] the bun." They have also warned owners that while they "may not have Chick Fil As in [their markets] or to the degree they have them in the southeast, they are coming. And they don’t discount." That means testing a chicken sandwich product in, say, Georgia rather than in Washington might ensure a win for Micky D's.
