McDonald's Plans to Limit Late-Night Menu

Whether or not you eat fast food from restaurants like McDonald’s, Burger King, and White Castle very often, we can all agree on one thing: The most appropriate time to down a burger, fries, and soda handed to you through a window is late at night. Whatever your reason for needing a combo meal or value menu item at midnight, illicit substance-inspired or not, having the ability to hit up Taco Bell for a satisfying greasy, salty snack. If McDonald’s, with its mix of dinner and breakfast options, has been your go-to spot, however, the breadth of menu offerings is about to shrink, according to documents leaked to Business Insider.

The changes were confirmed by a McDonald’s representative who told Business Insider, “Starting April 30 (at participating McDonald’s restaurants nationwide), we’ll be simplifying what’s served after midnight so customers can get the most popular favorites as fast as possible.” While some Mickey D’s fans might feel snubbed, according to the chain if your favorite midnight snack is staying on the menu, the brand thinks you’ll see an improvement in service, saying, “We always want our customers’ experiences to be simple, smooth and delicious — any time of day. That means, day and night, we’re always looking for ways to serve them even better.”

Starting April 30, from midnight to 5 a.m., the menu will pare down to items like Big Macs, Quarter Pounders, Chicken McNuggets, Happy Meals, French Fries, All Day Breakfast options (like Egg McMuffins), McCafé coffee, and desserts. Some of the items that won’t be available for your late-night craving satiation anymore include the Buttermilk Crispy Cchicken Sandwich, Buttermilk Crispy Tenders, Filet-O-Fish, Signature Crafted items, Artisan Grilled Chicken Sandwiches, and premium salads. Additionally, apparently McDonald’s employees will be instructed to redirect anyone ordering the soon-to-be-off-limits items to another of the available options, so don’t be surprised if your request for a Filet-O-Fish gets met with a “How about a Big Mac?” instead of “Sure!”

Speaking of suggestions, last month McDonald’s purchased an AI company specializing in “decision technology” that will help the chain suggest menu items for your order in a predictive manner, based on what else you order. The McDonald’s menu was also the source of some customer scrutiny when it brought back the “dollar menu” by diversifying the pricing with $1, $2, and $3 options. The current iteration of the more encompassing late night menu first rolled out in 2013.

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