McDonald’s Adds First New Breakfast Item in Five Years

When McDonald’s was worried about sales in 2015, the burger chain got business rolling again by acquiescing to a longstanding customer demand: all-day breakfast. This week, looking once again to drive in diners, McDonald’s is hoping breakfast can help save the day – this time by tapping into customers’ love of “secret menu” items and “menu hacks.”

Arriving on November 1, McDonald’s new Triple Breakfast Stacks are billed as a sandwich that “doubles down on some of our customers’ favorite ingredients.” And MickeyD’s means that literally. Each Triple Breakfast Stack comes loaded with two slices of American cheese between two sausage patties, all topped with bacon and an egg. (How that adds up to “triple” isn’t quite clear, but the name “Excessive Breakfast Stacks” doesn’t quite have the same ring to it.) The whole sandwich can be served as either a McMuffin, biscuit, or McGriddles.

The burger giant says the idea for this new offering – McDonald’s first on the breakfast menu since 2013 – came after noticing customers’ enthusiasm for so-called “Secret Menu” items. “People have been hacking our menu for years – so much so that it’s inspired our new Triple Breakfast Stacks,” Manager of Culinary Innovation Chef Mike Haracz said in a statement. “We love seeing the fun ways our customers and McDonald’s crew have been creating their own takes on our classics. We can’t wait to see what they come up with next – you never know what might end up on our menu.”

But though menu hacking may have inspired this new sandwich, the reasons behind its launch are all business. During yesterday’s earnings call, McDonald’s CEO Steve Easterbrook specifically pointed to breakfast as a way to boost traffic, which declined over the most recent quarter. “We want to do better at breakfast,” he said according to CNBC. “We've got some initiatives in place, which we are going see out through the next few months, and also some new food news, which we think will reenergize the daypart.”

Though it’s unlikely Triple Breakfast Stacks will triple the number of people through the door, they’re certainly generating plenty of publicity. But if you want to try one, get to McDonald’s soon: The chain says they’ll only be around for a limited time. After that, back to the “Secret Menu” they go, apparently.