McDonald’s is testing “Garden Fresh Wraps”, which appear to be the evolution of prior a new product concept they’ve been trying for awhile: a portable, chicken “non-sandwich”.  Of course, as with all QSR product tests, the big issue is incrementality.  Even if I sell a lot of the new product, did I sell less of something else on the existing menu?  It’s a tricky question that requires top-notch testing analytics.

More broadly, we love the idea here — if the first product in the concept doesn’t work in test (we assume), how do you tweak it and quickly retest?  Many QSRs could do this better, rather than just rolling what they’ve got regardless of the test results. As Chicago Tribune reporter Steve Johnson notes – without testing, well known brands run the risk of straying from their core strengths and losing customers.