McDonald’s Canada continues to add seafood items to its menu, after realizing success with fish sandwiches and other seafood products.
The latest limited-time offering (LTO) from the national restaurant chain is the Asian Crispy Shrimp Signature McWrap, which launched in July. The new wrap — one of five McWraps — features fried shrimp, Asian salad mix, grilled vegetables, and a spicy Thai Sauce. As with McDonald’s Canada’s other seafood offerings, High Liner Foods is supplying the shrimp.
McDonald’s Canada added the shrimp wrap, after extensive consumer research. “During our focus group testing for the Asian Shrimp McWrap, shrimp was the most popular protein choice. People love shellfish and it’s what Canadian consumers are looking for now, based on our insights,” Anne Parks, director of menu management for McDonald’s Canada, told SeafoodSource.
The healthier wrap is certainly a departure from what most customers think of when ordering food at the fast food chain, and is expected to appeal to millennials and younger customers.
“Because of the combination of fried shrimp and salad — and the additional halo effect from seafood being perceived as a healthier protein — this is going to be very well-received,” Steven Johnson, grocerant guru at foodservice consulting firm Foodservice Solutions, told SeafoodSource. “18 to 34-year-olds, in particular, like tortillas and like to try something new. Wraps are a new format for seafood, and they think a wrap is healthier than a bun.”
McDonald’s Canada also permanently features the Filet-O-Fish on its national menu, along with the McLobster sandwich in Eastern Canada. Last summer, the McLobster was added as a LTO in Ontario. “It was hugely popular among Ontario costumers,” Parks said.
McDonald’s Canada is one of the largest buyers of fish in the country, thanks to its sheer size (more than 1,400 restaurants in the country) as well as the popularity of fish sandwiches among consumers.
Canadians’ consumption of fish sandwiches has surged 34 percent since 2008, according to NPD Crest Research.
Surprisingly, McDonald’s U.S. has not been as aggressive with seafood offerings as its Canadian counterpart. The Filet-O-Fish is typically offered as a LTO during the Lenten season, and Fish McBites did not perform well when launched in the U.S. last year.
However, Johnson believes McDonald’s will be testing more regional seafood items to appeal to consumers’ growing interest in locally-sourced and healthier foods. “You will see greater menu expansion in the U.S. of seafood, first regionally and then nationally. [McDonald’s] area directors are asking for local sourcing and local ingredients,” Johnson said.
For example, McDonald’s will likely test shrimp and crawfish dishes in Louisiana and fried Pollock or other whitefish in its East Coast and Midwest stores, Johnson predicted.
