I know, I know: You've been checking in here every day, wondering when Mark is going to review McDonald's new Crispy Chicken Sandwich. Your wait is over, my friends.
I had one yesterday. I had them leave the pickles off and it wasn't quite as fluffy and large as the one in the photo above but it was close. It wasn't particularly crunchy and I didn't do weights and measures but the filet seemed a bit larger than what one gets in the corresponding sandwich at Chick-Fil-A.
And that's really the question here: How does it stack up against the Chick-Fil-A sandwich that it was designed to replicate? McDonald's — the firm everyone in the Fast Food Biz used to emulate — has been reduced to playing catch-up because them Golden Arches haven't been very golden lately.
Mickey D's has its advantages. The fries are better, it's open on Sundays and you can get their knock-off without any moral reservations that come with patronizing a company that has Chick-Fil-A's history of supporting anti-gay charities. Then again, it's a little hard to say how much of that, if any, Chick-Fil-A is still doing.
And I'm very much aware that almost any company that gets my money is going to have given something to some cause or politician I oppose. McDonald's has announced it's pausing its political donations to reassess…but during the 2020 election cycle, the company reportedly donated half a million bucks to federal candidates, 63% of which went to Republicans including Republican Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.
So to me, in the chicken sandwich consideration, that's a wash. I've decided not to let it stop me if I'm driving past a Chick-Fil-A and I feel like downing one of their sandwiches.
But then the Chick-Fil-A I'd most often patronize is only a few blocks north and across the street from a McDonald's where the new sandwich is okay — not quite as good as Chick-Fil-A's but not a bad alternative. And they do have better fries and I can also get a burger while I'm there…
…and I think my decision will probably come down to which side of the street I'm on. And whether it's a Sunday.