McDonald’s Sweet New Menu Addition Looks To Cream The Competition

McDonald’s (MCD) is expanding its menu with a new sweet treat that it seemingly hopes will draw in customers as it competes with its rival chains’ dessert offerings.

The fast-food chain has added a Caramel Brownie McFlurry to its lineup. The new McFlurry features vanilla soft serve that is made with real dairy, as well as brownie pieces and caramel topping blended throughout.

The Caramel Brownie McFlurry is available for a limited time starting May 3, which McDonald’s said is “just in time for warmer weather” at participating restaurants while supplies last.

“As our fans rejoice in the changing of the seasons, we're excited to give them a new way to enjoy our most iconic dessert,” said McDonald's Chef Chad Schafer. “In fact, the flavors in our new Caramel Brownie McFlurry are inspired by that first-warm-day-of-the-year feeling. The cool and creamy soft serve mixed with fudgy brownie pieces and sweet, gooey caramel makes every refreshing bite worth savoring.”

McDonald’s first debuted the Caramel Brownie McFlurry in Canada in 2017. The chain also offers an Oreo McFlurry and M&M’s McFlurry on its menu. It first introduced the McFlurry recipe in Bathurst, Canada, in 1995.

McDonald’s has introduced several new menu items in the last few months as well as brought back some fan-favorites. It introduced three new chicken sandwiches in February - a classic, deluxe, and spicy. It brought back the McRib in November 2020 and the Shamrock Shake in February. It also brought back the Orange Hi-C Drink after customers begged for the return of the beverage.

Now with the launch of the Caramel Brownie McFlurry, McDonald’s goes head-to-head with Chick-fil-A, which is currently testing a Butterscotch Crumble Milkshake in Salt Lake City, Utah. It will also take on Sonic Drive-In, which introduced an Oreo Big Scoop Cookie Dough Blast in March.

Other chains that have introduced sweet treats to its menu recently include Popeyes, which launched Chocolate Beignets in December.

Last fall, McDonald’s added apple fritters, blueberry muffins, and cinnamon rolls as new all-day menu options.

Shares of McDonald's were trading at $227.89 as of 9:48 p.m. EDT on Monday, up $2.68 or 1.19%.