Chocolate fries: sweet savior or last gamble for McDonald's Japan?

Classy, McDonalds, classy.

Need to wrap them in bacon and it will be perfection.

Japanese customers expect high quality food

But its fast food. Why would any customer (japanese or any another nationality) expect "high" anything from McD's. Sounds to me like all those customers have very unreasonable expectations.

"...sourced huge amounts of food as cheaply as possible from overseas suppliers..."

A gamble to increase profits that obviously backfired.

I tried them last week; could feel my pancreas go into hyperdrive.

ugh, when all else fails, chocofy your products. Just give up already and make place for a shake shack or something.

sweet savior or last gamble for McDonald's Japan?

Neither. This is just a clever marketing ploy to generate lots of buzz and free publicity.

McDonald's Japan obviously tore a page out of the playbook of Burger King Japan and their black Halloween Whopper which earned them press coverage globally.

Japanese customers expect high quality food

Will all the junk food/fast food sold in Japan and the dominance of the industrial food system, I think this is a debatable statement. Closer to the truth would be "Many Japanese customers expect the image of high quality food" or "Many Japanese customers want to be able to fool themselves that the food they eat is of high quality".

Those who really want high quality food make it themselves from more natural ingredients or eat at restaurants that use such ingredients.

Japanese customers expect high quality food, so the chain must re-focus on sourcing locally

Sourcing locally like that Milk company that recycled old milk that was curdled with fresh milk?

They are now known as MegaMilk. They never closed down, but only changed their name. Guess what milk brand is sold at McDonald's?

I tried the chocolate fries a single time. They tasted pretty good, but not wanting a heart attack, I only ate them once. I try to limit my fast food as it is - at my age just looking at it will add to the waist size.

Wow, it looks tasty! If I ever have a chance to go to Japan anytime, that would be great because I really wanna try this McChoco Potato Fries! I'm sure it's gonna taste sweet!

If we lost a trust and a good reputation from customers once due to scandal, it's not easy to re-build soon. But I think that such a challenge is very important although the result is still unclear, McDonald's need to make efforts from now on if they want to recover in the market.

People say they don't trust McDonald's but they are happy to eat at a super cheap izakaya or buy cheap processed foods. That's simply irrational.

Pass.....

Criminal garbage, someone should sue em for poisoning children

Is this can even be called food? I mean come on, chocolate on fries, this is disgusting.

Japanese customers expect high quality food

BS! So many people seem to be totally happy to eat for lunch horrible noodles or donburi in very dirty shops, or ridiculous bentoos. And actually there is no way that McDonald would sell this s... in Europe as they know that nobody would eat this. Seeing that they are trying in Japan says a lot on the fact that anyone can try to sell anything to Japanese.....

come on, chocolate on fries, this is disgusting.

Sales numbers wouldn indicate that a whole lot of people disagree with you.

Sales numbers wouldn indicate that a whole lot of people disagree with you.

Yeah chocolate on fries is disgusting. Sales numbers just show there are plenty of morons on Earth.

chocolate on fries is disgusting.

Nah it's pretty tasty actually. The sweet and salt go together well.

Nah it's pretty tasty actually. The sweet and salt go together well

Well you are one of them....Sorry for you.

Why would you be sorry for me eating something that I found tasty? That's just... weird.

Not much time left to try them, they are available for a limited period only.

I can imagine they might be tasty depending on the type of chocolate used. Can't try them as I am on a Calorie restricted Diet.

Well it goes beyond me that some people like you comes here and try to explain us that some cheap chocolate on greasy fries is tasty. What's your next step? To say us that this is healthy?

And so yes, I am sorry that you have no taste.....

The 'cheese and gravy' fries they had were horrible enough, I can only imagine the disease that low-grade chocolate on these high-calorie fries will yield. What an attack on the senses!

Cheese and Gravy over Fries(skaPoutine) worked well for Beckers and is a Yummy dish.

http://www.pcrm.org/health/reports/happy-meal-leads-to-obesity Mcd should go away asap... they promote child obesity and bad food quality even though they pay JapanToday for hidden social marketing

omg i gotta get me some right now! wait can i have it with Mayo and Ketchup as well? what a delight!

there is no way that McDonald would sell this s... in Europe as they know that nobody would eat this

I don't know. They dip their fries in mayo. That's pretty disgusting.

I tried the chocolate fries a single time. They tasted pretty good, but not wanting a heart attack, I only ate them once. I try to limit my fast food as it is - at my age just looking at it will add to the waist size.

I hear you... But if you think that's good. Try the most amazing thing you'll ever have. Recommended that you eat it only once in your life, or every 6 years as it will most definitely add to your waist by just smelling it. American southern comfort food... "Biscuits and Gravy". American buttermilk biscuits covered in ground breakfast sausage gravy.... the most evil, heart attack inducing, cholesterol raising, chunk of deliciousness you'll ever see.

But as Zubrach mentioned... if they add bacon to this, it would be probably be considered perfect. xD.

I don't know. They dip their fries in mayo. That's pretty disgusting.

I love mayo on my fries. But it's another thing I never eat because of my waist.

Chocolate fries: sweet savior or last gamble for McDonald's Japan?

last gamble for McDonald's Japan

I love Mayo on Fries, talking proper Fries here no that soggy slop that McD serves. Try using European Mayo less oily than the USA stuff.

McD is having trouble in alot of countries. I for one haven't gone there for years. So many better fast food outlets nowadays.

Last holiday (11th) the only fast food place I could find that had empty tables was McDonald's. And it was in a shopping mall with other fast food places that were packed - people waiting in lines. They have a problem, Houston.

I would eat it.... if they pay me for it. Otherwise, not so much.

If they want to win back consumer trust it seems pretty obvious that the source of the problem has been bad suppliers.

Change suppliers - you'll need to change countries too - too many scandals now from China.

Cost too much?

How much does a 300mill loss cost because no one trusts your food?

McDonald's: taking the lead in moving past "really gross" directly to "completely disgusting."

No, thanks! Why reinvent the wheel? Good fries with ketchup will brighten my day anytime, of course you can always through in some hickory flavored bacon in as well.

McDonald's: taking the lead in moving past "really gross" directly to "completely disgusting."

Most definitely!

“The chocolate fries have been extremely popular with customers, and actually not just customers in Japan,”

I find this hard to believe. Chocolate syrup on French fries? Bwa ha ha ha ha ha, er, yuck!

I wonder if they'll ever regain the complete trust of the Japanese public again. Especially with one food scandal after another, it seemed like they were digging themselves a deeper hole each time. They have to earn that trust back, gradually, even if it means a few more years in the red and costlier, stricter quality controls. Casanova should know that they are under public scrutiny; one more misstep or scandal and that could just be the last one they make in Japan.

Saw a report about this on ABC's "Good Morning America" this am. They also mentioned something about McD's testing the serving of beer yes, beer in some of their stores. Maybe South Korea and somewhere in the US. Great idea if they would let us super-size it !

McD has been serving Beer in my Home-country(Europe) since they came in, but than even hot-dog stands sell Beer there. Easy to get a licence for Beer & Wine, Liquor is tougher.

Beckers in Japan also sold canned Beer.

And agree a frosty goes well with their Fillet-o-Fish.

McD is having trouble in alot of countries. I for one haven't gone there for years. So many better fast food outlets nowadays.

They did a turn-around here in the States. They shrank their menu by about 50%, then made breakfast available 24/7 (in the stores that were open 24/7). Sales jumped so noticeably that Burger King immediately followed suit.

Burger King seems to be struggling for new ideas. Last year they came out with a "Big King" which consisted of two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, and chopped onions on a club roll. If the roll had had sesame seeds on it, McDonalds could have sued them for trademark violations re: their "Big Mac".

McChoco Potato!

“The reason I came is that I wanted to taste products that didn’t exist until now.” - article

The fact is the food lab is moving closer to the customer.

The name is perfection and the quote says exactly what the food innovation is at the street level. But imagine the impact on McD with a roll out.

It's not like wiping off the specials board. Kudos and keep the science tasty.

“The reason I came is that I wanted to taste products that didn’t exist until now.”

In that case, may I interest you in my deep fried sardine parfait??

People act like McDonald's a strange or unique menu items is only a Japan thing. Experience or a simple look on the internet will show you that there are menu items at your country or continent's McDonald's that people in other countries may not eat. Criticizing an entire Nationality because of what their local McDonald's has on their menu is ridiculous.

Particularly when not a single person in this thread who is criticizing these fries has even tried them. No comments saying 'I had it and they were disgusting'. Just comments on how its disgusting.

It's not like wiping off the specials board. Kudos and keep the science tasty

Frankenstein thought his creation was a marvel and we all know what happened after that. My kids tried them, they thought it was ok, me, hated them. Why not put chocolate on sushi? Just like the good lord wanted fries to be eaten, with a slab of Heinz ketchup..or that Kagome!

Sugar and fat....nuff said!

I actually tried it last week, and it tastes pretty good when the fries are very hot. You add the chocolate yourself with the small packets provided (so you can control the sugar level). It's a not new flavor here in Japan because Calbee has been selling chocolate on potato chips for years.

Can you get the same effect with chocolate syrup on any chain's fries?

I agree with "Strangerland"... They do go fairly well together... sort of like the Chex Trail Mix, "Sweet & Salty". But mayo on fries is the best though not very healthy. The English method isn't bad either... a little vinegar sprinkled on them. I wonder, if the people who think fries and chocolate syrup is disgusting, think the same about chocolate covered pretzels?

Come on Vern and Richard, what are you doing trying to say they are good, when all these other posters who haven't tasted them are telling you that they are disgusting? Don't you know that they, not having even tried them, know better than you, who has? Get real.

It sounds so ridiculous it might even tastes good. What's next, a coke + sundae drink?

If you sell it people will buy it.

This new vomitous dish is sending McDonald's rapidly to its demise.

A spicy burger and fries with curry sauce would get me to go back.

ok I couldn't resist! I'm always reading but never posting. I would never ever try chocko fries! I HATE even sweet popcorn, fruity chocolate! I'm very conventional and traditional. However, here in Germany there's this drink called MEZZO - it's half Coke and half Fanta - pretty good!

@bass4funk

Frankenstein thought his creation was a marvel and we all know what happened after that.

"Frankenstein" was a work of fiction by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley so why are you treating it like it actually happened?

I personally don't understand why people would put mayonnaise on fries. Malt vinegar (the choice for "chips" in the British Isles) and ketchup are at least related in the sense that ketchup contains a lot of vinegar as well. Chocolate on fries? I'm a fan of fries AND chocolate, but I'm not picturing the two together. I'd have to try it before rendering verdict.

Tried some a friend bought yesterday. Absolutely disgusting. Only a confused 8 year-old with glandular problem would have the fickle taste buds for these

I personally don't understand why people would put mayonnaise on fries.

It's basically fat on fat - delicious. A delicious heart attack waiting to happen.

Mayo usess egg yolk, dijon mustard, Salt, Vinegar and Oil.

All stuff that goes well with Tatters.

"I love Mayo on Fries"

Oh my Gawd...

McD's should sell beer, it would embolden more people to try their food.