Recently, McDonald's has decided to quietly remove its "healthiest" menu item in the United States, which was the humble salad.
The fast-food giant has announced that its lineup of salads, which had long been a staple offering, will no longer be available nationwide.
According to Joe Erlinger, the president of McDonald's USA, the decision was made due to a distinct lack of customer demand.
"They're looking for great french fries, they're looking for a $5 meal deal, they're looking for a hot, fresh sandwich, and so that's what we're going to continue to provide them," he explained at the Wall Street Journal Global Food Forum earlier this week.
The salad menu had been a McDonald's fixture for years, with options like the Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad and the Southwest Salad with Crispy Chicken.
These were often described as healthier alternatives to the chain's traditional burger and fry offerings.
However, it seems that Americans' tastes have shifted, and they are no longer interested in the salad options.
Erlinger pointed to the company's founder, Ray Kroc, who famously said in 1970, "I don't know what people are going to be eating in the year 2000, but we're going to serve more of it than anybody else."
This forward-thinking approach has served McDonald's well, but in this case, it appears the customers have spoken and they want burgers and fries, not salads.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the chain had already discontinued its salad offerings to streamline operations and adapt to disruptions in the supply chain. Now, it seems the company has decided not to bring them back, at least not on a national scale.
"If people really want salads from McDonald's, we will gladly relaunch salads," Erlinger said.
"But what our experience has proven is, that's not what the consumer is looking for from McDonald's," he concluded.
This decision is opposite to the UK market, where McDonald's has maintained its lineup of salad options, including the Side Salad, Grilled Chicken Salad, and Crispy Chicken Salad.
Customer preferences seem to have remained more aligned with the healthier menu items.
Some may lament the loss of a healthier option, while others may celebrate the return to the chain's core menu items.
Most of the time the salads were old, with over-processed chicken bits and the field greens were skinny with very little leafy green lettuce to the salad. They were awful, one user said.
I actually miss the salads. I was very disappointed when they were discontinued. McDonalds should really rethink that choice. Folks like to change up and should be able to change up from burger and fries, the second user said.
People who want to eat healthy are not going to resort to McDonald’s, the third user shared.
Just a reminder that the cheeseburger and double cheeseburger actually have some of the best macros on the menu. Even better than the chicken options, another wrote.
Salads were phased out before covid. They were gone a long time ago, someone wrote.
