Chef Mike Haracz (@chefmikeharacz) is a corporate research and development chef who used to work for McDonald’s. He recently went viral on TikTok for his post delineating why the Snack Wrap probably won’t be making a comeback.
If you’re unfamiliar with the Snack Wrap, it was a relatively low-cost item (about $1.59 when it was still being offered) that consisted of “100% white meat chicken breast (crispy or grilled), lettuce, shredded cheddar jack cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, and sauce (ranch, honey mustard or salsa roja), wrapped in a soft flour tortilla.”
The item was originally designed “as a snack to satisfy hunger between meals,” and folks really want it to return.
In his video, Haracz explains why that’s not likely to happen. The clip responds to a viewer’s comment: “why the snack wrap got the axe, higher food cost and less profit on the item. they wanted u to buy the burgers.”
@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
Haracz says that making the wraps often yields less money because they’re more difficult to prepare than other items.
“Yes. One of the big reasons that the Snack Wrap is gone is operational complexity,” he says. “It is harder to make, it takes up space, and all that kind of stuff.”
However, the former McDonald’s corporate chef says the number one reason the Snack Wrap won’t return is that folks tend to stick to their “regular” order.
“But a real big reason why some of these menu items that a lot of people want are either taken away or don’t come back is because they know you are still gonna go to McDonald’s, and you are gonna order something else,” he says.
Haracz also explains that with limited-time offers, like the McRib or Shamrock Shake, customers typically only buy the item once before going back to their usual order, meaning it’s not profitable for McDonald’s to keep them around forever.
“And that is why everyone could say that they want the Snack Wrap back, but you’re still going to McDonald’s, and you’re buying other things, which makes McDonald’s happy, and that is why they have no reason to bring it back for you at all whatsoever,” he concludes.
News outlets have echoed Haracz’s sentiments about the Snack Wrap, particularly regarding the “complexity” of assembling it. Business Insider India writes, “McDonald’s cut snack wraps from menus because they were too complicated to make.”
The outlet adds: “They took too long for workers to make, from steaming the tortillas to cutting chicken and folding the ingredients up to fit in the cardboard boxes. McDonald’s franchisees complained about how inefficient they were to make and pushed to remove them from menus as the chain pushed to keep service time low.”
Still, some folks who responded to Haracz’s video didn’t seem too happy with his explanation.
“McDonald’s wait is already 20+ minutes at times . if I have to wait an extra 30 seconds to get something A LOT of people want so be it,” one viewer commented.
“But why have it in every other country? Canada has it. They also have all day breakfast,” another pointed out.
However, one viewer admitted that despite being disappointed about McDonald’s getting rid of some menu items, it’s never stopped them from spending money at the burger giant.
“It’s true…I still go back. Snack wraps are good, but the Angus burgers were elite,” they wrote.
Others said they would satisfy their Snack Wrap craving by going somewhere else, like one Burger King customer who wrote: “Not me, you catch me at Burger King ordering those wraps multiple times.”
The wraps the commenter refers to are Burger King’s new Royal Crispy Wraps, which many Snack Wrap lovers are looking to as a substitute.
The Daily Dot contacted McDonald’s and Haracz via email for further comment.
Update 8:30am CT, Aug. 27, 2023: The Daily Dot corresponded with Chef Mike Haracz via email, who said that there were other items on Mickey D’s menu that were also removed, in part, due to operational complexity.
“All day breakfast, and fruit and yogurt parfait were removed due to operational complexity,” he said. “Things like salads in the U.S. we removed for that too as well as poor sales.”
