August 10, 2021

McDonald’s Corporation

110 N. Carpenter St.

Chicago, IL 60607

Dear Esteemed McDonald’s Executives, Test Cooks, and Culinary Scientists,

I am writing to you as a loyal and enthusiastic consumer of your various food and beverage products. While I might not be the hippest or trendiest of guys (I still MMMBop to Hanson and own a VCR), if there is one thing I know, it’s what’s good. Speaking of what’s good, back in my day McDonald’s McNuggets were the bomb or, as the kids today would say, on fleek. The mix of white and dark meat McNuggets was nonpareil. One of my fondest memories involved eating those delicious morsels right after I had ankle surgery in September of 2001. When I tell you the feeling of ebullience I had at that moment, it was incredible! I thought that those nuggets would continue to be a staple on the menu for years to come until one day…

MCDONALD’S DECIDED TO COMPLETELY CHANGE THE RECEIPE!

Now I know that when McDonalds decided to make the change to smaller, all-white meat McNuggets in 2003[i], part of the reason was to acquiesce to external pressures regarding nutrition and possible preferences. Let’s be honest though, with regards to health, anyone who is going to McDonald’s isn’t going there for their daily fix of vitamins, minerals, and fiber. People go to get a fast, tasty, and sometimes greasy meal—and that is OK! When McDonald’s made this change, they not only altered the taste of McNuggets, they reduced the optionality—those who liked the dark meat nuggets had to settle for one less option. McDonalds made the choice for consumers and I’m not loving it! I want the old recipe back, even if it’s for a limited time. 

Imagine the consumer interest and traffic that McDonald’s would generate by bring the former recipe back—one that was so familiar to me and millions of other people who grew up in the 90s and earlier. I gander that most Gen Zs[ii] and Gen Alphas[iii] have never had the privilege of judging these nuggets for themselves. With the chicken wars heating up between McDonald’s, Burger King, Chick-Fil-A, Popeyes, and Wendy’s (I better mention them before I become another Twitter victim of theirs), this could give McDonald’s a most egg-cellent edge (sorry I had to do it).

So, in conclusion, I urge McDonalds to give this opportunity a try. I doubt that I am alone in this desire—there are thousands of people who yearn for the glory days of the McNuggets and millions more who have yet to taste the glory of those times. Who knows, you may end up getting hooked on these as I once did. McDonald’s fancies itself as one of the leading fast food institutions, so why not continue to prove that? Because after all, as Sheryl Crow articulated so well, A Change Would Do You Good.

Plz fix thx :) ,

Otega

[i] Alexander, Delroy. “McNugget makeover,” Chicago Tribune, 5 October 2003, https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2003-10-05-0310050339-story.html Accessed 2 August 2021.
[ii] According to Pew Research Center, people born in Generation Z were born between 1997-2012. Source: Dimock, Michael. “Defining generations: Where Millennials end and Generation Z begins,” Pew Research Center. 19 January 2019, https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/01/17/where-millennials-end-and-generation-z-begins/ Accessed 5 August 2021.
[iii] According to Australian social researcher Mark McCrindle, Generation Alpha is defined as those born in between 2010-2025. There is a little overlap between this definition for Gen Alpha and the definition for Gen Z offered by Pew. Source: Stechyson, Natalie. “What Is Generation Alpha? Everything to Know About The Kids Of Millennials,” Huffington Post. 27 November 2019, https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/what-is-generation-alpha_ca_5dde809ae4b0913e6f7719c8 Accessed 5 August 2021.