When it comes to spicy, McDonald's customers are apparently lovin' it!
On Sept. 16, the fast food chain debuted their new Spicy Chicken McNuggets along with Mighty Hot Sauce and the Chips Ahoy! McFlurry ("to give fans the sweet, cool relief they might need") nationwide. And although the spicy items have only been out for two weeks, they're already selling out in many restaurants, which is clearly a testimony to people's hunger for hotter than usual foods.
Back in August, McDonald's teased the release of the Spicy Chicken McNuggets on Instagram, calling it "the hottest news you'll see on your feed today."
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The Spicy Chicken McNuggets are the first new flavor of nuggets to be added to the McDonald's lineup since Chicken McNuggets made their debut on the menu back in 1983. "The new dipping sauce is both our first new sauce innovation since 2017 and the hottest one available at McDonald’s. Trust us – you’re going to want to take a dip," read McDonald's press release.
People were excited to spice up their fast food life, but as the items started quickly selling out, they made no bones about airing their grievances.
"Our McDonalds never has the spicy sauce," one customer complained on Instagram.
That guest was not alone in their frustrations. Others on Twitter spoke out about the hot sauce being unavailable.
"'We’re out of Mighty Hot sauce' is the new 'Our Ice cream machine is broken,'" tweeted one humorous hot sauce lover.
And while customers may be lamenting the fact that they can't easily find these limited-time only menu items, their popularity is definitely a sign that they are a success — which could lead to them making a comeback in the future.
“McDonald's fans across the country are loving the new Spicy Chicken McNuggets, Mighty Hot Sauce and Chips Ahoy! McFlurry we introduced earlier this month, and we’re thrilled with the positive response to these limited-time offerings," McDonald's USA said in a statement emailed to TODAY Food. "If our customers truly can’t get enough, there’s always a chance we’ll bring limited-time menu items back in the future. You never know, you might just see some of these fan-favorites again soon ...”
The Chicago-based restaurant chain says it rotates menu items based on food trends and aims to offer fan favorites as much as possible. McDonald's confirmed that people can expect the new menu items to be sold out due to strong customer demand in the coming days.
Last month, McDonald's experienced burger ingredient shortages as people gobbled up the Travis Scott meal. The preferred meal of the rapper, who sometimes goes by the nickname "Cactus Jack," includes a Quarter Pounder burger with cheese, bacon and shredded lettuce, Sprite soda and fries dipped in BBQ sauce, sold under a promotion for just $6.
It still remains to be seen if Spicy Chicken McNuggets will become even more popular than Popeye's chicken sandwich and other competing chicken offerings from competing fast food chains.
Described by McDonald's as "Breaded with a sizzling tempura coating made of both cayenne and chili peppers," they definitely bring the heat.