McDonald's said it's cutting the Angus burger, wraps, Chicken Selects and Fruit & Walnut Salad from its menu in the United States.
The menu changes come as the Oak Brook, Ill.-based chain looks to cut costs. The Angus Third Pounders were first introduced in 2009 and is among the chain's more expensive menu options, retailing at around $4,49 in most markets.
At a time when the restaurant industry is barely growing, McDonald's has been changing up its Dollar Menu in a bid to boost sales and grab customers away from competitors. Even if that hurts profit margins, executives say the strategy is critical to gaining market share and ensuring the long-term health of the company.
Without giving too much information, McDonald's said that the Angus burgers "may still play a future role on our menu.'' It said it was removing the burgers and Angus snack wraps to "make room for new and exciting choices for our customers.'' The Angus burgers and snack wraps were still listed on the menu section of McDonald's website on Thursday.
The price of wholesale beef hit an all-time high Friday, with the wholesale price of a USDA cut of choice beef reached $201.68 per 100 pounds. The previous high, $201.18, was set in October 2003, according to NBC news.
McDonald's U.S. sales were down 1.2% in the first quarter due to what it called a "challenging eating out environment." This week it announced that April sales were up just 0.7% in the U.S.
