Why McDonald's Snack Wraps Are Unlikely To Return, According To Former Chef's TikTok

There's bad news for fans of McDonald's snack wraps. According to a video on TikTok from a former chef for the fast-food giant, they are unlikely to return. Mike Haracz, who used to work as a chef at McDonald's corporate, recently shared an insight on his TikTok account about why the snack wraps are a fan favorite we aren't getting back. 

@chefmikeharacz

Replying to @pho3nixash Former #McDonalds corporate chef talks about where the #SnackWrap is. #snackwraps #snackwrapguy #snackwrapme #snackwrapnation #snackwrapsareback #mcdonaldssnackwrap #mcdonaldssnackwraps #FYP

♬ Aesthetic – Tollan Kim

The first reason Haracz provided is what he calls "operational complexity," meaning that the snack wraps are a bit more complicated than your typical burger or sandwich. "It is harder to make," he said, "it takes up space, and all that kind of stuff." But there is a bigger, more primary reason that McDonald's has no reason to bring back the snack wrap, according to Haracz. Even with customers disappointed about their favorite item not returning to the menu, McDonald's knows that those same customers will still keep coming back. "[T]hey know that you are still gonna go to McDonald's and you are gonna order something else." 

Snack Wraps — essentially chicken, cheese, lettuce and sauces wrapped in a tortilla and sold for under $2 — were discontinued nationally in 2016. But they were so popular among a swath of consumers that some have campaigned for the item's return. A Change.org petition calling for their return has, to date, garnered just over 18,000 signatures.

This is far from the only McDonald's item whose removal has prompted seemingly widespread disappointment. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, McDonald's nixed salads from the menu, though once again, the option was provided for franchisees to continue providing them. The officially provided reason was the company's need to streamline its drive-thru operations, which isn't too far from the "operational complexity" cited by former McDonald's chef Mike Haracz.

But Haracz also provided a bit more insight into the rationale behind McDonald's corporate's "order something else" justification. "A lot of time with a lot of LTOs [limited time offers], like the McRib, like a shake flavor, a lot of people just order one, one time, and go back to their original order." In other words, while some consumers found a new favorite item, most just went back to ordering their trusty Big Mac or Quarter Pounder after trying the snack wrap once.

Even after snack wraps were discontinued nationally, local franchises were still given the option to continue carrying them. But in June 2020, McDonald's corporate phased out that option, too. For die-hard fans, some McDonald's locations in Canada still offer snack wraps. But in the United States, the McDonald's snack wraps have gone the way of the dodo.