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McWrap boosts McDonald's healthy perception among consumers

April 12, 2013

McDonald's newly introduced McWrap may be helping to boost the company's perception with "healthy" quick-service customers. According to YouGove BrandIndex, the company's impression scores are approaching those of Panera Bread and Wendy's.

Subway leads its peers in perception among this group of consumers, while Panera and Wendy's have been closely battling each other for second place since the beginning of the year with the "healthy fast food eater" demo.

Wendy's got a lift from its recent introduction of grilled chicken flatbread sandwiches.

Taco Bell, whose CEO Greg Creed announced this week that the company will explore more balanced offerings, experienced a score surge for two months, past McDonald's and Chipotle likely because of the Doritos Cool Ranch Dos Locos rollout. However, by late March, Taco Bell's perception levels fell back below its peer set.

Chipotle had been about even with McDonald's for the first two months of the year, but trailed off modestly at the same time that McDonald's experienced its increase.

Subway, Taco Bell, Wendy's, Panera Bread, McDonald's and Chipotle were all measured with YouGov BrandIndex's Impression score, which asks respondents: "Do you have a positive or negative Impression of the brand?" Results were screened for adults age 18 and over who have eaten at a limited-service restaurant in the past month and self-evaluate their health as "excellent."

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