Will Fish & Chips Be The Next McNuggets?
MONCTON – Georges Nammour has been with McDonald’s Restaurants for 40 years, so he’s seen a lot of products come and go. With Fish & Chips on the menu for the first time, he reflected on the most popular item in the decades since he first worked there flipping burgers.
“Definitely, it was the McNuggets in the early 80s – the best [performing] product we have launched. It was a hit on Day One and has been popular since then,” said Nammour, who started with McDonald’s flipping burgers in the mid-1970s and now owns five franchises in the Moncton area.
McDonald’s introduced Fish & Chips in Atlantic Canadian restaurants earlier this week.
“So far, it’s a hit,” said Nammour. “We’ve had a very good reaction from the public. Everyone who has tried it so far is delighted.”
The McLobster has been on the menu for more than 25 years and was popular, but it’s been replaced by the more affordable but still much-loved Atlantic haddock that is used for the Fish & Chips. A two-piece Fish & Chips costs $6.99 and $7.99 with a drink.
“Unfortunately we couldn’t keep doing [the McLobster],” said Nammour. “We always need a summer product and especially here in the Maritimes and Atlantic Canada, Fish & Chips resonate with our customers.”
“People are conscious that lobster has become very expensive, and we don’t want to push our prices [too high].”
It remains a long shot to match the popularity of McNuggets, but only time will tell. For now, the Fish & Chips will be a seasonal product on the menu until August 20th and only sold in Atlantic Canada. Nammour says the company will monitor sales this summer and decide if it should be offered year-round and made available in other markets.
What he does know is that the new Fish & Chips is more of a hit out of the gate than the popular product it replaced.
“It’s performing better than the McLobster,” he said.
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