Did McDonald’s heavily underestimate how popular the Snack Wrap relaunch would be? “It’s all thanks to you, sorry it took so long,” McDonald’s says about the iconic, long-awaited, fan-favorite item which returned to menus on July 10. The chain promised this time the Snack Wraps are here to stay—but this hasn’t stopped customers from behaving as if the beloved chicken snacks will be unceremoniously yanked away from them at any second. The Wrap-mania is so intense McDonald’s ran out of not just one but four key ingredients used to make the snacks. Here’s how it happened.
What’s In a Wrap?
McDonald’s
Each Snack Wrap is made with a McCrispy Strip, shredded cheese, lettuce, and a soft flour tortilla. The demand for Snack Wraps is so extreme, McDonalds apparently ran out of fresh lettuce, necessary not just for Snack Wraps but also items such as the McChicken sandwich. The Wall Street Journal reports that franchise owners were told to keep lettuce out of McChicken sandwiches, to ensure there is enough for Snack Wraps, and customers annoyed about lettuce-free sandwiches should be offered McNuggets or McDoubles instead.
Lettuce Panic
McDonald’s
Employees say they had to go out and actually buy lettuce from the store after running out. “We are out of lettuce and it wasn’t on the truck. I hope they get lettuce soon!” one said. “Our big boss (one of the corporate guys) went and bought like 30 bags of shred and brought it to us yesterday. We had 5 this morning when we switched to breakfast,” another shared.
Crispy Chicken Shortage
McDonald’s confirmed a brief but significant shortage of lettuce after Snack Wrap demand soared nationwide, but employees say the chain actually ran out of Crispy Chicken Strips, too. One McDonald’s employee shared a picture of a screen with all the “unavailable” menu items on it. “In the 3-ish years I have been at McDonald’s, I have never experienced a shortage like this to the point that some of our regular items have been removed from the menu… For now, we went thru 9 CASES of lettuce within the week the snack wrap was released. People were ordering 5-10 per order and it was worse through drive-thru, mobile orders and DoorDash,” another employee commented.
Tortilla Extinction Event
Shutterstock
Lettuce wasn’t the only ingredient running out fast—one McDonald’s employee said their location was suffering a “Tortilla Extinction Event” with disappointed customers being turned away after the restaurant ran out of wraps. “Snack Wraps Gone! (USA). They ran out of line an hour before I clocked out, I lost like two people because they were here for the wraps and we do not have them!” the anonymous employee shared on Reddit. “I had to pick up an emergency shipment that was sent to another store. 6 cases of tortillas and 3 of lettuce. Just in time because we were out of tortillas in the back,” another confirmed.
Shredded Cheese Shortage
Shutterstock
McDonald’s also ran out of shredded cheese in some locations, according to workers. “We sold out too! No more lettuce or shredded cheese until today’s shipment, we couldn’t even fulfill Big Mac and other burgers with lettuce. A guy came in to order 10 ranch and 10 spicy, and we only had enough cheese at that point to do 4 so he had to get 2 of each. I talked to him after the fact because we have mutual friends and he ended up leaving and getting Taco Bell for his boys instead because they were throwing a party,” another anonymous employee shared.
