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McDonald's cuts several menu items, including all-day breakfast, due to coronavirus

The chain has already closed the dining rooms in all of its company-owned stores.
Most McDonald's across the country will soon be offering truncated menus.
Most McDonald's across the country will soon be offering truncated menus. Getty Images/McDonalds
/ Source: TODAY

Fast-food fans probably won't be lovin' this.

On Thursday, McDonald's announced it will be cutting several items from store menus in an effort to simplify operations for its employees on the ground amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Customers will still be able to order the chain's most popular items, like Big Macs, most hamburgers, McNuggets, french fries and Filet-O-Fish sandwiches, but they won't be able to order breakfast items all day.

According to a statement McDonald's issued to TODAY, the cuts are not due to supply issues, but are being implemented to make it easier for over-extended crew members to fulfill mostly drive-thru and delivery orders.

"To simplify operations in our kitchens and for our crew, and ensure the best possible experience for our customers, we are working with our franchisees and local restaurants to focus on serving our most popular choices and will begin temporarily removing some items from the menu over the next few weeks," Bill Garrett, McDonald's USA senior vice president of operations, said in a statement. "We will regularly evaluate the situation and look to move back to our regular menu as soon as possible."

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According to Business Insider, other menu items that may be getting the axe include salads and sandwiches with grilled chicken. However, since most McDonald's locations are owned by franchise operators, which items get axed will ultimately be up to their discretion, so availability will likely differ by location.

This isn't the first adjustment McDonald's has had to make to its operations amid the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.

Many store locations around the world have closed their doors as it became increasingly difficult for both workers and customers to maintain safe spatial distances in busy locations.

Last week, all company-owned U.S. locations shut down their dining areas and play areas in an effort to stem the outbreak.

McDonald's has also responded to the COVID-19 outbreak by adding enhanced cleaning practices in stores and encouraging more frequent hand-washing among its employees.

Although a rep for the company would not provide details as to how long the temporary menu will be in place, Joe Erlinger, McDonald's USA president, chimed in to assuage any concerns from customers who'll be missing that mid-afternoon Egg McMuffin.

"I'll be back."