Chicken wrap battle heats up: ‘War’ escalates between fast-food chains

There’s new competition in the world of crispy chicken.

After a long wait, the McCrispy Snack Wrap is back on McDonald’s menus as rival chains hop on the handheld snack bandwagon with their own versions of fried chicken rollups.

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Snack Wraps have been off the menu at the Golden Arches for nearly a decade, but as of 10:30 a.m. on July 10, fans can now take solace in knowing that the beloved bites are here to stay.

The Snack Wrap features one of McDonald’s new McCrispy Strips, topped with crisp shredded lettuce and shredded cheese, all wrapped in a soft flour tortilla.

In this iteration, it comes in two different flavors:

• Ranch Snack Wrap: The fan-favorite item features a McCrispy Strip with shredded cheese, shredded lettuce, all brought together, a creamy Ranch sauce, wrapped in a soft tortilla.
• Spicy Snack Wrap: McDonald’s said this wrap is “back and hotter than ever.” It features a McCrispy Strip with shredded cheese, shredded lettuce, and a Spicy Pepper sauce, wrapped in a soft tortilla.

McD’s diners who have been anxiously waiting for the release of the Snack Wrap woke up excited for its return.

“HAPPY SNACK WRAP DAY TO ALL THOSE WHO CELEBRATE,” someone exclaimed.

“Mind ur business if you see me at McDonald’s tomorrow ordering 20 snack wraps…. I’ve been waiting years for this day!” one person posted on X.

Waking up knowing it’s snack wrap day.

“You won,” McDonald’s said on Instagram.

“This is what victory feels like, folks,” a fan responded.

“Getting emotional,” another said.

Both versions of the Snack Wrap cost $2.99 — and in a bid to compete with the highly beloved fast-food item, other chains are plucking out their own chicken wrap deals.

Taco Bell

Taco Bell threw shade at McDonald’s by reminding their customers that their answer to the crispy chicken wrap is not new — it’s been around for a whole 24 days.

The fast-food chain introduced Crispy Chicken Tacos, Burritos and Strips to its menus for a limited time back in June.

“Babe, what’s wrong u haven’t wished us a happy 24-day anniversary of crispy chicken,” the chain’s Instagram post read.

There’s even a Partiful event for the occasion, where Taco Bell shared that on July 10 only, the day the Snack Wrap is released, customers can get a crispy chicken burrito or taco for $2.40.

“It’s not often that a restaurant has crispy chicken tacos and burritos on the menu for 24 whole days- but it’s finally our chance,” the event description quibbled.

The deal is exclusively for reward members and is limited to one per customer.

Popeyes

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Popeyes is striking up a huge deal in competition with the Golden Arches.

The chain announced that chicken lovers can get a free Popeyes Chicken Wrap from July 10 to 13 at U.S. locations. Normally, they cost $3.99 each.

“The Wrap Wars are officially on and Popeyes is way ahead of the game,” the chain wrote in an email to PEOPLE.

“While one familiar fast food chain scrambles to launch wraps of their own on July 10, Popeyes has already been serving up heat all summer long,” they added, hitting back at McDonald’s.

Popeyes announced the addition of Chicken Wraps to its menu just one day before McDonald’s announced the date of the Snack Wrap’s return.

Sonic

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Sonic is also coming in hot, introducing two new bold Crispy Tender Wraps, which will be part of their $1.99 menu.

The new menu items rolled out July 8 — the same week as the Snack Wrap — and come in two different variations:

• Cheesy Baja Crispy Tender Wrap: An all-white meat, crispy tender wrapped up in a soft, flour tortilla along with lettuce, tomatoes, melty cheddar cheese and zesty baja sauce.
• Honey Chipotle Crispy Tender Wrap: An all-white meat, crispy tender wrapped up in a soft, flour tortilla along with lettuce, tomatoes, melty cheddar cheese and honey chipotle aioli.

The chain had previously tested the chicken tender wraps for a limited time last spring.