Have you joined the Wrap craze yet?
Last week, two big names in the fast food industry, McDonald’s and Popeyes, released their wraps at the same time! McDonald’s was actually the first chain to tease their fan-favorite Snack Wraps, while it was Popeyes who first dropped the Chicken Wraps randomly. Funny enough, both chains almost have the same filling of chicken tenders, lettuce, cheese, and sauce, all wrapped in a tortilla. The difference? It’s in the taste of the chicken and the sauce that they use. So yes, it’s pretty much a war on who has the best-tasting Wraps.
But how did we even come to this? Don’t you ever wonder how these Wraps came into the fast food scene? Let’s take a look at this new frontier in the fast food scene.
How The Wraps Entered The Fast Food Scene
The concept of food in flatbread isn’t exactly new. It can actually be traced to its precursors, such as the Indian Kati Rolls, the Mexican Burrito, and the Mediterranean Gyros. The westernized version of it, which we enjoy today, may be traced back to California’s “I Love Juicy” food chain. Its popularity surged by the 1990s through establishments like San Francisco-based World Wrapps, which was credited with popularizing wraps nationwide.
While chains have been creating low-carb alternatives for them back in the early 2000s, it was McDonald’s that became notable when it entered the wrap market. The chain debuted their Snack Wraps in 2006, which were aimed towards drive-thru customers. It appealed not only to drive-thru guests but also to diners. However, in 2016, the Snack Wraps were discontinued as they’re reportedly complex and time-consuming to create at McDonald’s kitchens.
At present, McDonald’s will be returning their Snack Wraps on July 10, 2025. This came after tons of requests, which were visible on the webpage they created called Snack Wrap Files. The Snack Wraps come in two flavors: Spicy Snack Wrap and Ranch Snack Wrap.
On the other hand, Popeyes’ version of Chicken Wraps has Classic, Spicy, and Honey Mustard. Their tortilla wraps are also made from their famous biscuits. If you’re waiting for McDonald’s Snack Wraps, you can grab one at Popeyes as they’ve been available since June 2, 2025.
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Wraps in the Fast Food Scene
The fast food industry is currently in a chicken revolution as sales continue to show that they outperform beef. This growth has allowed fast food chains to focus on releasing chicken-based menu items, including Wraps. This surge has shown a boom in wrapped chicken offerings from different chains. Let’s check out the other fast food brands that offer wraps on their menu:
- Burger King’s Royal Crispy Wraps – Yup, Burger King has their own version of chicken wraps, too. They feature a white chicken breast meat with special Royal sauce, tomato, and lettuce, all wrapped in a soft and warm tortilla. They come in other variations with a triple pepper fiery flaze sauce and honey mustard sauce.
- Chick-fil-A’s Cool Wraps – The Cool Wraps are a permanent menu item at Chick-fil-A. It features a sliced grilled chicken, lettuce, shredded Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheeses. It even comes in different dressings to choose from, like the Avocado Lime Ranch to dip your Wraps in.
- Subway’s Grilled Chicken Wraps – If you frequent Subway, then you’d know that the chain offers a wide selection of wraps, including Roast Beef Wraps and oven-roasted turkey wraps. In the chicken category, they have the Grilled Chicken Wraps. It’s filled with grilled chicken, cheese, lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, and red onions wrapped in a soft tortilla.
Other fast food chains such as KFC and Wendy’s have released their version of Chicken Wraps in recent years, but they aren’t currently available. Still, have you ever wondered why they’re popular among consumers? If we look at the fast food landscape, it may be because they have value-driven demand, which offers a much lower price point compared to other menu items. For instance, McDonald’s offers a combo meal for their Snack Wraps that comes with medium Fries and a drink of your choice.
Second is its perceived health benefits, especially in a time when consumers are now health-conscious. You may often see Wraps as one of the healthiest menu items at your favorite fast food restaurant, as they’re lighter or healthier than other flavor-packed foods, like a traditional burger or a burger sandwich. But if we look at it at a bigger level, we can see that chicken is versatile. Wraps are just one way for fast food restaurants to make use of chicken, and not to mention, drive sales. It caters to people with diverse tastes and dietary preferences.
What About Chicken Sandwiches?
The long-standing Chicken Sandwich Wars started right before the Fast Food Chicken Wrap Wars started. Tons of fast food chains are offering their Chicken Sandwiches by introducing or upgrading them, which marked a war between Spicy Chicken Sandwiches. It all started when Popeyes introduced their new fried chicken sandwich to their national menu on August 12, 2019. While it received positive reviews, it did not immediately become the chicken sandwich we know today.
Meanwhile, Chick-fil-A regarded itself as a market leader and somehow a perceived originator of chicken sandwiches over a Twitter (now X) post. Fans regarded the message as a subtle hit to Popeyes’ new sandwich release. With that, Popeyes responded with a two-word tweet of “…y’all good?” Well, that encounter was called the Twitter War, which ignited the chicken sandwich war among other chains. It’s safe to say that Popeyes won that one! 🤣
Popeyes’ strategic use of social media play became one of the drivers of the campaign’s success. In fact, during its peak, Popeyes experienced a surge of about 300% in store traffic as the brand became the top searched item on Google. The demand even led to a shortage as Popeyes ran out of sandwiches! Several other big names in the fast food industry joined the fray, like McDonald’s, Burger King, and Wendy’s, which is known for joining “beef” wars on social media.
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From The Club
With the Chicken Sandwich Wars that happened, I’m thinking if the same thing will happen in 2025 between McDonald’s and Popeyes. It’s a bit early to see the war unfold, but I guess we’d have to wait until McDonald’s finally releases their Snack Wraps. I would love to see it happen because I love the idea of other chains following in the Chicken Wrap’s future success. Maybe KFC will bring back their Wraps? 👀