McDonald's Rolls Out Premium McWraps With A Little Help From The Knicks

McDonald's officially unveiled its newest offering, the Premium Chicken McWrap, to the press and general public on Thursday at a location on Manhattan's Sixth Avenue, and it was a two-story bonanza.

The line to get into the ground floor, where for three hours McWraps were being handed out for free, stretched nearly to the end of the block, and once inside, the usually tame McDonald's was transformed into what they were calling the "Sweet Chili Chill Out Lounge," complete with decorations, a DJ, and a rap competition (get it?) in which customers were invited to participate.

Upstairs on the second floor, the press had an opportunity to be introduced to the wraps in a slightly different way, with centerpieces adorned with the ingredients for each of the new wraps, which partner fried or grilled chicken with lettuce, tomato, cheese, and either bacon, ranch, or sweet chile sauce. At the center of the action, New York Knicks forward Steve Novak conducted a brief press conference and attempted to make a wrap himself.

"I'm really excited to be here," Novak told the crowd. "This is the kind of food I look for as a basketball player. It's healthy, and you can eat it quickly." Before heading over to try his hand at wrap-making, he added, "Hopefully my food prep skills are as good as my three-point skills!" He then went downstairs to meet the public, and even went behind the counter for a couple of minutes.

The McWrap, which is now available nationwide, is intended to be a "Subway-buster," according to an internal McDonald's memo that AdAge got its hands on. Reports suggest that McDonald's classification as a "burger chain" might be hurting sales with Millennials, and this new menu item, along with the Fish McBites and an egg white option, are examples of a new focus on menu variety and higher-quality ingredients.