McDonald's shakes things up with seasoned fries

Plenty of pundits have said McDonald’s needed to shake things up to stay ahead of the competition.

But how many thought the Oak Brook-based fast-food giant would mess with its french fries, considered a gold standard in the business? Any hands? I didn’t think so.

McDonald’s on Friday began testing seasoned fries in St. Louis and parts of California. The “Shakin’ Flavor Fries” is something of a do-it-yourself dish. You get the fries and a flavor packet, which you shake together in a bag. The seasoning choices: garlic Parmesan, zesty ranch and spicy buffalo.

“The idea came from popular seasoned fries in Asia known as Shake Shake, which first debuted in 2005 in Hong Kong before spreading into other countries including China, India and Australia,” McDonald’s spokeswoman Lisa McComb tells Entrepreneur.

Burger King had “Shake’em up Fries” on its menu than a decade ago. They didn’t last long, USA Today writes. Other, smaller hamburger chains have their own variations of seasonings, sauces and toppings for their fries.

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