McDonald's brings brats back to Midwestern menus

brat fork

McDonald’s is reaching back seven years to deliver on its promise to meet local tastes, resurrecting a brat on a roll in about 125 units in Wisconsin.

The brat reportedly hasn’t appeared regionally or nationally on a McDonald’s menu since 2009. The product’s revival comes as Burger King is touting a new value-price hot dog. A number of other quick-service chains, from Sonic to Checkers/Rally’s, are also spotlighting franks this spring.

Brat are as much of a Wisconsin fixture as cheese curds, dinner clubs and blocks of cheddar.

They’re among the local products that McDonald’s is permitting franchisees to try as part of a strategic effort to meet local tastes more directly. Stores in Canada and New England, for instance, have featured lobster rolls.

Members help make our journalism possible. Become a Restaurant Business member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.

Multimedia

Exclusive Content

Financing

Why are so many restaurant chains filing for bankruptcy?

The Bottom Line: A combination of rising costs and weakening sales, and more expensive debt, has caused real problems for restaurant chains. But the industry is also really difficult.

Financing

Despite their complaints, customers keep flocking to Chipotle

The Bottom Line: The chain continued to be a juggernaut last quarter, with strong sales and traffic growth, despite frequent social media complaints about shrinkflation or other challenges.

Operations

Hitting resistance elsewhere, ghost kitchens and virtual concepts find a happy home in family dining

Reality Check: Old-guard chains are finding the alternative operations to be persistently effective side hustles.

Trending

More from our partners