McDonald’s bets big on hot honey and protein to bring in customers

Fast-food giant McDonald's is adding even more items to its menu as it continues efforts to drum up traffic. 

McDonald’s is debuting its own version of hot honey sauce, which will be available at participating locations starting Jan. 27 for a limited time. The company is also adding a range of protein-focused sandwiches to its menu, including the Hot Honey Sausage Egg Biscuit, which contains 17 grams of protein, as it looks to align with growing consumer demand for protein-packed foods.

It will also launch the Bacon Hot Honey McCrispy Sandwich, the Hot Honey McCrispy Sandwich, both of which contain its signature McCrispy filet, and a Hot Honey Snack Wrap, which contains the McCrispy strip, and Hot Honey Sauce Dip Cup.

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The latest menu additions come shortly after McDonald’s rolled out a broader strategy that will combine nostalgia, technology and loyalty-focused initiatives as it adapts to shifting consumer habits. The fast-food giant has emphasized value leadership and consistency as it looks to keep customers coming back amid ongoing economic pressure.

McDonald's value strategy has helped intensify competition across the fast-food industry, with chains ramping up value offerings in response to McDonald’s renewed push to reignite traffic among cost-conscious consumers.

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In September, McDonald's brought back its Extra Value Meals, offering customers eight meal bundles for breakfast, lunch and dinner, saving customers 15% more than if they bought items separately. Rivals quickly followed suit with discounts of their own, especially during the mornings.  

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"The restaurant industry is responding to what is effectively a period of some of the lowest measures of consumer sentiment in the last 50 years, and during these times, consumers want to feel like they're getting the best value for their money," Mark Wasilefsky, head of restaurant and franchise finance at TD Bank, told FOX Business.

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With McDonald's recent lean on value, "most scaled restaurants are working very hard with their existing menus and ingredients along with their back-office finance teams to derive wholesome, satisfying and substantive offerings at competitive prices to both retain existing clients and drive new customers," Wasilefsky said.