McDonald’s may be known for its famous fast-food fries, but it’s about to add a new side for the first time in a long time—and it’s the same as a long-time Burger King favorite.
Though the offering is only limited to one restaurant at this time, it may be a trial for a brand-new side for McDonald’s locations across the country: onion rings.
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Onion Rings Debut At U.S. McDonald’s
The popular Instagram account Snackolator reported that the exclusive side item will only be available at the “McDonald’s Headquarters” restaurant in Chicago, which features a rotating international menu and is bringing in onion rings as they’re currently available in Australia.
A similar menu item once existed at McDonald’s: the Onion Nugget, which was a precursor to Chicken McNuggets. The Onion Nugget was introduced in 1978, but only lasted through 1979. Before this May, they were the closest we ever got to experiencing McDonald’s onion rings in the United States.
The first “nuggets” McDonald’s introduced were these ONION NUGGETS. In 1979, they started only offering them after 4PM as an attempt to boost nighttime orders. These battered onion pieces are still the closest that McDonald’s has ever come to serving onion rings in the US. pic.twitter.com/lHei70Hneg
— Consumer Time Capsule (@consumertc) April 26, 2023
Burger King has long offered onion rings as a side along with a plethora of other options—mozzarella sticks, cheesy tots, jalapeño cheddar bites, and more. McDonalds, meanwhile, has rested on its tried-and-true French fries, which the chain strives to make a consistent experience at every location.
However, the lack of side diversity has long made fast food fans ding McDonald's points in the "variety" department, especially compared to BK.
mcdonald's beats them in literally every single way except BK has onion rings and mcdonalds doesn't
— camy¹ᴰ (@camyflage) May 26, 2023
McDonald's Fans Plead: 'I Need These!'
Fans were thrilled at the news that onion rings would be debuting in the U.S.—though many were disappointed they were only going to be available at the Headquarters location.
"Only one location, that's McCrazy," quipped one Instagram user on the decision. "That would be awesome if we got onion rings at McDonald's," commented one fan hopefully. Others had suggestions for the fast good giant: "Always thought they were leaving money on the table by NOT offering onion rings!" said an Instagrammer. Another added, "Release these in tandem with the McRib this season, McDonald's," perhaps as an all-in-one limited-time meal.
We got to see a glimpse of the special-edition item on Twitter, along with other exclusive offerings like the 1955 Burger and the Chicken McArabia.
Global McDonald’s was on point today! 1955 Burger, Chicken McArabia, Onion Rings #ChicagoFood https://t.co/u7yDkl8FMh pic.twitter.com/mU1iiDBJpd
— Dining Cooking (@DiningCooking) May 28, 2023
At the McDonald’s Global Menu Restaurant you can get French fries and Australian onion rings pic.twitter.com/1Xo2kCQEUJ
— Chicago Urbanist (@chi_urbanist) May 27, 2023
McDonald's has not divulged whether they will be offering onion rings at locations nationwide in the future, but perhaps if the exclusive item does well at Headquarters, we may be seeing it at our own local drive thru.
