McDonald's Suspends All-Day Breakfast to Streamline Operations During the Coronavirus Crisis

In 2015, McDonald's changed the world by fulfilling a long-time customer demand and adding all-day breakfast. Now, thanks to the coronavirus outbreak, the world is, unfortunately, changing back: McDonald's has announced it's temporarily axing all-day breakfast in an attempt to make life easier for the company's restaurants.

Admittedly, some McDonald's franchises weren't overjoyed with all-day breakfast even before the current pandemic. Last May, the burger giant announced that it'd be granting more flexibility to individual locations to decide what breakfast items would be available all day to help streamline operations. So clearly, all-day breakfast had already been identified as something that can slow stores down. As such, it's probably not surprising that it's one of the first things to go as McDonald's looks for ways to make life easier for employees during this difficult time.

"To simplify operations in our kitchens and for our crew, and ensure the best possible experience for our customers, we are working with our franchisees and local restaurants to focus on serving our most popular choices and will begin removing some items from the menu over the next several weeks," Bill Garrett, senior vice president of operations for McDonald's USA, said in a statement. "We will regularly evaluate the situation and look to move back to our regular menu as soon as possible."

Other items the chain is expected to temporarily phase out alongside all-day breakfast include salads (and some types of lettuce in general) and some grilled chicken sandwiches, according to the site Restaurant Business. Twitter user McD Truth further explained, "This will happen in waves, area by area. This is to help out & simplify operations, it's not due to supply chain issues."

That tweet got a response from none other than McDonald's USA President Joe Erlinger who replied, "All day breakfast's response to this news: 'I'll be back.'" So though some store managers may not be thrilled with all-day breakfast, since Erlinger quickly stepped up to assure the world it will return, customers must still appreciate the option of having Egg McMuffins for dinner.

Needless to say, reducing menus is only one of many changes McDonald's has undergone to deal with the COVID-19 outbreak that has sent the restaurant industry into a holding pattern of mostly carryout and delivery. In Erlinger's most recent statement about McDonald's response to the coronavirus, released on Monday, he provided an extensive list of these changes including things like ramping up contactless options, offering food and help to local communities, and supporting both employees and franchisees financially where applicable.