Following the news that fast-food giant McDonald’s is bringing back the cheese Danish from its 80’s vault this fall;

Carmen Bryan, Consumer Analyst, at GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, offers her view:

“Over the last few years, McDonald’s has proven itself the champion of recognising and cashing in on current consumer trends. The company has consistently reinvented its menu throughout the pandemic and beyond, which has helped it to retain relevance and customer interest.

“Now, banking on the ‘Stranger Things’ inspired wave of 80’s memorabilia and trends, the company is reaching back into its time-capsule to bring us an old classic that both feels nostalgic and fresh – a Danish pastry.

“Small menu changes are relatively easy for the fast-food giant to incorporate and allow it to test the waters for larger rollouts or innovations. In this case, a cheese Danish may be the perfect autumn treat that escapes the typical ‘pumpkin spiced’ cliches. However, the company should be careful. With 62%* of US consumers currently extremely worried about how the cost-of-living crisis will impact their household budgets in the next three months, many may roll back their spending on non-essentials.”

*GlobalData’s Q3 2022 Consumer Survey, The US, Sample Size of 500 Respondents