McDonald’s brings back bagels — breakfast staple it discontinued in 2020 (2024)
Call it a schmear campaign.
Thousands of McDonald’s locations have put bagels back on the menu — after the company discontinued the breakfast item four years ago.
The Chicago-based fast-food giant – which earlier this week announced a partnership with Krispy Kreme doughnuts – has seen a surprising surge in demand for the doughy delight, according to franchise owners.
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“I am hearing from operators who just rolled out that they are selling more bagels in one day than an entire week five years ago,” one franchisee told The Post. “That is crazy, nostalgia is real.”
The bagels began appearing on menus quietly last year in just a couple of markets, but they had “phenomenal success” and now “everyone wants to replicate that,” the franchisee added.
A public spreadsheet lists locations from California to even New York, the bagel capital of the world, as more and more McDonald’s customers seek out the bagels.
No official launch is planned, a McDonald’s rep told The Post on Friday.
“Though Bagel Sandwiches are not available nationwide, they are a regional offering and currently available at participating McDonald’s in select markets,” the spokesperson said.
McDonald’s stopped serving bagels as a standalone item on its all-day breakfast menu in 2020.
At the time, they were considered a flop or a “low-performing item” that was expendable as McDonald’s simplified its menu to focus on its core items, the franchisee told The Post.
But now about a third of the nearly 14,000 US locations have put them back on the menu, according to the franchisee, who did not want to be identified.
Fans heralded the return on social media, with one Facebook group — titled “Where’s my McDonald’s Bagel” — amassing more than 12,000 members.
“ARLINGTON, TX she’s BACK and soo GOOD,” posted one member this week.
One person posted a photo showing the bagel being substituted as the breading in an Egg McMuffin.
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“Just FYI, AFTER I had already paid, the cashier mentioned I could’ve used the McDonald’s app and could’ve gotten the bagel for $1.50!!! They have it under Rewards on the app. You’ll click on $1.50 breakfast sandwich…it expires in 3 days..I’ll be going back tomorrow to get it for $1.50! Lol,” posted another customer.
This bagel boom comes as McDonald’s teamed up with Krispy Kreme, announcing that all of the fast-food giant’s 13,500 eateries in the US will sell the doughnuts by 2026.
The partnership will begin later this year, when customers can order three varieties, including the original glazed, the chocolate iced with sprinkles and the chocolate iced kreme filled.
After a lull of new menu items, McDonald’s appears to be gearing up to add more items, experts say.
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“The last few years we have just been doing flavor extensions with sauces, but we haven’t introduced a bunch of new ingredients and essentially a new line of breakfast sandwiches,” the franchisee said.
The company has also been lambasted by customers complaining about its affordability. One posted a receipt for an $18 Big Mac meal while others recently decried the lack of dollar menu items.
McDonald’s chief executive Chris Kempczinsk said during an earnings call in February that the company had all but lost low-income diners or those earning less than $45,000 a year due to food inflations pressures.
“I think what you’re going to see as you head into 2024 is probably more attention to what I would describe as affordability,” Kempczinski said on the earnings call with Wall Street analysts.
“Though Bagel Sandwiches are not available nationwide, they are a regional offering and currently available at participating McDonald's in select markets,” the spokesperson said. McDonald's stopped serving bagels as a standalone item on its all-day breakfast menu in 2020.
Discontinued in 2020 due to low performance, the reintroduction of these doughy delights has sparked excitement across the nation—but only in select locations. Among the most eagerly awaited comeback is the Steak Egg & Cheese bagel, a hearty breakfast option that has won the hearts of many.
They're available as bacon, egg, and cheese; sausage, egg, and cheese; or steak, egg, and cheese. Additionally, plain ol' egg and cheese is also available for non-meat eaters. To the dismay of fans, the breakfast item was discontinued in early 2020, the same year McDonald's ended its popular all-day breakfast menu.
The fast food chain is currently beginning to sell its bagel breakfast sandwiches again which come with a choice of steak, bacon or sausage on a toasted bagel with butter, folded egg and two slices of American cheese. The breakfast item can also be ordered meat-free or with no toppings at all.
Since then, McDonald's has started slowly bringing back bagels at different locations across the country. In November 2022, the Steak, Egg & Cheese Bagel, the Bacon, Egg & Cheese Bagel and the Sausage, Egg & Cheese Bagel were returned to some Chicago and New York locations.
McDonald's published the ingredients list on its website. The main ingredients of breakfast sauce are oil, eggs, and vinegar — so, basically, mayonnaise. It's the little extras that give it its distinct flavor. Dehydrated cheddar cheese, buttermilk, and whey all contribute cheesiness.
McDonald's stopped serving bagels as a standalone item on its all-day breakfast menu in 2020. At the time, they were considered a flop or a “low-performing item” that was expendable as McDonald's simplified its menu to focus on its core items, the franchisee told The Post.
So when the wrap was taken off the menu on February 9, after just three days, it was a terrible blow. A spokeswoman at the time stated: "Due to an unprecedented demand, McDonald's has had to temporarily remove the breakfast wrap from the menu, to avoid running out of all wider breakfast items."
McDonald's removed its bagel sandwiches from nationwide menus in 2020 when it decided to pare down its offerings — and get rid of all-day breakfast — at the start of the pandemic.
After the wrap was launched on February 7, McDonald's temporarily removed it from menus due to "unprecedented demand". A spokeswoman for McDonald's said it had to do this to "avoid running out" of all wider breakfast items. The popular fast-food chain confirmed this was "not goodbye", just "see you very soon".
However, McDonald's has brought back the famous Jewish bread rolls. The fast-food chain has confirmed to Today that the bagels have returned to its breakfast menu at participating restaurants at select locations. However, they are not “available nationwide.”
Craving a breakfast sandwich at McDonald's? Our Bacon, Egg and Cheese Bagel features a toasted bagel with butter, thick-cut Applewood smoked bacon, a fluffy folded egg, creamy breakfast sauce and two slices of melty American cheese. There are 590 calories in a Bacon, Egg and Cheese Bagel.
The new Breakfast Wrap (£4.39) includes a delicious pork sausage patty, two round free-range eggs, a slice of bacon, a crispy potato rosti and cheese served in a tortilla wrap with either tomato ketchup or brown sauce.
What we're watching: McDonald's bagel sandwiches are back at all participating California restaurants and the company told Axios they also are available as a regional offering in some markets outside the Golden State.
The Sausage, Egg and Cheese Bagel has 710 calories. Order your breakfast bagel today from our full menu in the app using contactless Mobile Order & Pay* with Curbside pickup. *At participating McDonald's.
The McCafé Oreo Frappé first appeared on the chain's menu in 2015 and disappeared not long after and seemingly forever. McDonald's brought it back last summer — after eight years away — and it has begun popping up at select locations for a planned May nationwide rollout.
Sadly, during the start of the 2020 pandemic, due to reduced staffing and a lack of dine-in traffic, the decision was made to end their super popular all-day breakfast to "provide better speed of service" to customers.
In 2015, McDonald's began serving breakfast all day. But that ended during the pandemic and the restaurant hasn't announced any plans to bring it back.
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Introduction: My name is Cheryll Lueilwitz, I am a sparkling, clean, super, lucky, joyous, outstanding, lucky person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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