Place: McDonald's
Item: Flatbread Deli sandwiches
Price: $3.29
We're not ashamed to play the part of guinea pigs when a restaurant wants to test a new lunch item. Put anything in front of us and we'll eat it, especially if it's cheap, fast and good -- or at least two out of three.
Right now, McDonald's is experimenting with new Flatbread Deli sandwiches, rolling out three turkey and chicken varieties in a few select cities for a six-month trial period. Even if you're not one of us pigs, it's interesting to see what a huge chain like McDonald's thinks America wants for lunch. But do we Lunch Guys want it?
Tom: This is McDonald's latest shot at the holy grail of fast food—the healthy-and-easy-to-eat item. But if this prototype sandwich shows up at your local outlet the same way it showed up for us in testing mode, you'll probably want to avoid it. Not that McDonald's is that far off the mark. The Flatbread Deli sandwiches are like a free throw that bounces around the rim for a few seconds before slowly rolling off to the side. Close, but no score.
The problem comes from the differences between what you expect and what you get. Never have I been so misled by a picture on the menu board. What looks so fresh and tempting was actually
the ever-so-slightly seasoned bread for way too long.McDonald's says these are specifically targeted to “on-the-go customers,” but isn't that every customer? If Taco Bell can find a way to make my hot Gordita within seconds after I place my order, McDonald's absolutely has to do that with these. And the Newman's Own dressing packet that makes it “Balsamic” is useless. Pouring it on makes it an even soggier mess, and there's no way to dip it without the dressing running all over my desk (trust me, I tried).
Tom: Chris, I think they kept these cold because people associate cold with healthy. Name one healthy item that's hot -- OK, a small order of fries -- but other than that, there's nothing. And I actually like the fact that the dressing is on the side so I can control the dosage. I just wish McDonald's would control its thirst to make salads work. Paul Newman's picture is on the menu more places than Ronald's is.
Chris: Fine, fine. Keep them cold, but please ditch the prepackaged concept, incorporate the dressing into the condiments and beef up the chicken. That'll make this McDonald's experiment a success.
Rating: 3 sporks (out of 5)
E-mail The Lunch Guys:
tomandchris@thelunchguys.com
cold and institutionalized — literally. With the Grilled Chicken Caesar Flatbread, I got just a cold salad with slices of chicken on a pita bread sealed in cellophane. What bothered me most was picturing these being cranked out on a production line at corporate headquarters. It might as well have been served on an airline. Besides, who wants a salad sandwich?
Chris: Hey, I thought I did. I do want to thank McDonald's for trying a white-meat, salad-esque alternative. The Flatbread Deli sandwiches are proof that McDonald's will continue to make the mega profitable menu changes, like last year's addition of the premium salads, that win back lunch goers burned out on burgers.
But before these sandwiches go national, the McScientists have to do three things: make 'em fresh, warm and easy to eat. My Balsamic Grilled Chicken one came wrapped like a Little Debbie, as if having chilled all morning in a 7-Eleven cooler, with the interior gooeyness betraying that the lettuce, onions and tomatoes had been soaking into
