Wendy’s quietly brings back unexpected menu item after 8-year hiatus | Official Website of Louis Velazquez, entrepreneur, finance guy and tech innovator

“Running around like a chicken with its head cut off” perfectly describes the current state of the fast-food sector.

To keep up with rivals, prevent falling behind on trends, and incentivize people to dine at their locations while navigating an uncertain economy, fast-food chains have prioritized innovation by constantly developing and launching new menu items.

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A growing chicken trend has recently emerged among fast-food chains, with major players like Chick-fil-A, Yum! Brands’ YUM Taco Bell, McDonald’s, and Popeyes launching new chicken-based products to dominate the sector.

It may have all started with Chick-fil-A — since its inception, it has been one of the first chains to focus solely on developing chicken-based menu items.

Wendy’s brings back a menu item after 8 years.

Image source&colon; Brandon Bell/Getty

Popular fast-food chains unveil chicken-based menu items

Although other fast-food giants may have had bigger audiences, Chick-fil-A quickly began taking over the market, partly causing big chains like McDonald’s (MCD) to decline in sales over the last few years.

This chicken trend is so prominent in the industry that McDonald’s created three new Global Category Management teams focused on beef, chicken, and beverages/desserts to further specialize innovation within its food products.

Not long after, McDonald’s announced the return of its fan-favorite Snack Wrap, which went viral among consumers.

Other fast-food rivals followed its lead by unveiling similar items to avoid being left behind by the growing competition.

Popeyes launched the new Chicken Wraps, Jack in the Box (JACK) introduced the Jack Wraps, and Taco Bell re-released its Crispy Chicken Nuggets, plus introduced the new Crispy Chicken Tacos and Burritos.

All the chicken wraps come with chicken strips and toppings wrapped inside a warm tortilla.

Now, Wendy’s is entering the chicken race with the launch of its own version.

Wendy’s enters the chicken race by re-releasing a menu item

Wendy’s (WEN) is bringing back the chicken tenders in a very sneaky way because this menu item is currently being tested across select markets and only at a few locations for a limited time, as reported by @snack_qween on Instagram.

No specific locations have been disclosed, since no efforts have been made to promote this unexpected release. Still, if a Wendy’s near you happens to have them, customers may order them in three and four-count packages.

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Wendy’s has had a long history with chicken tenders, first introducing them in 2003 as “Homestyle Chicken Strips.” The fast-food chain later discontinued and re-launched various versions in 2007 and 2017, but none managed to stick to the permanent menu for long.

It’s unclear why Wendy’s keeps re-releasing different versions of the chicken tenders, but this is a good sign the company may be trying to perfect them to make them a permanent part of the menu.

Although Wendy’s is no stranger to releasing chicken tenders, the fast-food chain has labeled this latest launch as a new menu item. This could mean the chicken tenders have been reformulated and improved, which might be why they are not yet available nationwide.