Snack Wrap frenzy briefly leaves McDonald's short on lettuce

They’re lovin’ it. Too much.

Some McDonald’s restaurants faced a brief shortage of lettuce after the fast-food giant brought back its Snack Wraps on July 10.

The lack of leaves is now resolved. The company had followed typical projections for ingredient supplies but, the company said, Snack Wrap-starved customers “showed up in full force.”

“We’ve been blown away by the response, from packed restaurants with lines out the door to nonstop social buzz,” a McDonald’s spokesperson said.

The Snack Wrap is comprised of chicken strips, lettuce and cheese, wrapped in a tortilla.

The Wall Street Journal first reported on the shortage. The newspaper added that McDonald’s had told franchisees to save lettuce, asking them not to add the veggie to McChicken sandwiches and to offer customers McNuggets or a McDouble burger instead.

The Snack Wrap is part of McDonald's strategy to sell customers on value offerings while food prices rise. The chain has struggled this year, with quarterly sales in the United States hitting their lowest point since the pandemic.

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McDonald’s has faced particularly low traffic among middle-income diners, suffering a double-digit drop in traffic among this group during its most recently completed quarter.

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At $2.99, Snack Wraps are among the cheapest items on McDonald’s menu and largely come cheaper than other chains’ similar offerings. Though Burger King also offers $2.99 chicken wraps, Popeyes’ chicken wraps come in at $3.99.

First added to McDonald’s U.S. menus in 2006 but discontinued in 2016, the Snack Wrap has a cult-like following which only grew during its absence.

Fans signed online petitions and lobbied the chain via social media to push for McDonald’s to reintroduce them. The chain teased the Snack Wrap’s return in April before announcing it in June.

Chicken is having a big moment in fast food, as chains like Raising Cane's surge in popularity, while Taco Bell and Wendy's hawk their own crispy offerings.