Spicy Chicken out at McD, in at Wendy's

McDonald's confirmed Wednesday it is taking its spicy chicken sandwich off the menu less than six months after its heavily marketed debut, reflecting disappointing sales.

McDonald's Corp. called the Hot 'n' Spicy McChicken its spiciest item ever when it introduced it to its 13,700 U.S. restaurants in January and said it reflected changing consumer tastes. Its launch followed the success of a spicy chicken sandwich at rival Wendy's.

But company spokesman Bill Whitman said Wednesday that the results from a half-year in the restaurants "does not meet those hurdles that we have for products to stay on our core menu." He said the sandwich, which is still available in some markets, would be brought back periodically as a promotional item, citing its devoted following among some customers. [via Yahoo!]


Meanwhile, Wendy's has introduced a spicier option for their spicy chicken sandwiches. For an additional 30 cents, customers can add a slice of pepper jack cheese to the sandwich, which costs $3.19.

Wendy's also said it will begin testing a 4-Alarm Spicy Chicken sandwich featuring jalapenos, pepper jack cheese and chipotle sauce in three markets. [also via Yahoo!]