Ex-McDonald's Chef Explains Why It Nixed Grilled Chicken

McDonald’s has drastically cut back on its menu in recent years since the pandemic. Whereas the chain used to feature healthier menu items such as salads and fruit-and-yogurt parfaits, much like all-day breakfast, they were nixed to more efficiently streamline service operations. The same goes for grilled chicken sandwiches, which had also been an option at times throughout the years.

However, former McDonald’s corporate chef Mike Haracz has a pretty simple explanation for the reason the company no longer sells grilled chicken, and it essentially boils down to a lack of demand.

“Why doesn’t McDonald’s have a grilled chicken?” Haracz asked in a recent video posted to his popular TikTok account, reading aloud a comment from one of his other videos. “It’s really because y’all didn’t buy enough.”

“So, a lot of times there are menu items that need to meet a certain threshold to be profitable for McDonald’s to keep them on the menu,” he explained. “For a time they had salads, they had grilled chicken, they had options for those people who wanna eat a little better, who maybe have a large group going to McDonald’s and they’re the one who wants to have a chicken sandwich even though it’s a burger place.”

@chefmikeharacz

Replying to @Chazman Former #McDonalds corporate chef talks about their grilled chicken sandwich. #mcdonaldshacks #mcdonaldssecrets #mcdonaldsccsing #fastfoodstories #fastfoodlife #fastfood #foodtiktok #foodtok #McDonaldsTikTok #mcdonaldschallenge #fyp #chicken #chickens #chickensandwich #chickentok

♬ original sound – Chef Mike Haracz

However, he noted that if McDonald’s doesn’t have that option available, the company knows that customers will simply choose something else from the menu. “So you’re not going to some other restaurant to get your grilled chicken sandwich, you were already going to go to McDonald’s, so you’re like, ‘You know what, fine, I’ll just have McNuggets’ or ‘I’ll just have the fried one.”

Haracz also noted that the fewer different types of proteins they need to cook drastically simplifies things in the kitchen. “The more they can make the same things over and over again, the more profitable it is for McDonald’s,” he added.

Well, there you have it. Those craving chicken at McDonald’s can always try the new Chicken Big Mac for a limited time. However, weighing in at a hefty 700 calories, it may not exactly be the healthiest option.