McDonald's Wings: Fast Food Chain Adds $2.99 'Mighty Wings' to Menu
McDonald's will add chicken wings to its fast-food, burger-filled menu beginning next month.
According to Leslie Truelove, director of marketing at McDonald's USA, "Mighty Wings" will be available starting Sept. 9 for a limited-time roll-out. A nationwide roll-out will begin Sept. 24 and will be sold thoughout November.
The breaded wings will have bones and will be seasoned with cayenne pepper and chili pepper. Wings will be available in three-piece, five-piece and 10-piece servings starting at $2.99. Just like McDonald's Chicken McNuggets, the items will be dippable in McDonald's nine sauces, including chipotle, barbeque, creamy ranch and honey mustard flavors.
The move comes from the growth of chicken wing sales in the United States. According to GuestMetrics, chicken wings are high on the list of fastest-growing foods in food-on-the-run restaurants.
"Wings is a major move," Scott Hume, editor of the BurgerBusiness blog, said. "It's like the Colonel adding a cheeseburger."
In 2012, chicken wing sales were over $8 billion, an 11 percent increase over the previous year.
Analysts say the addition of chicken wings will help McDonald's compete with popular chicken franchises like KFC and Popeyes. New chicken dishes were also recently added to the Wendy's menu.
"We view the introduction of Mighty Wings as a meaningful catalyst for improved sales," Lynne Collier, a restaurant analyst at the firm Sterne Agee, said.
McDonald's hopes their sales will increase with the introduction of their Might y Wings. Many fast-food chains have seen a decline in sales during the past few months. According to a statement made by the company, profits have increased in stores that were open for at least 13 months thanks to new menu items.
"The market is such that chains need menu news continuously, not occasionally," Hume said.
Mighty Wings were tested in fall 2012 in Atlanta and Chicago.