McDonald's finally brings overseas fan favorites to US in 2026

For decades, McDonald's customers have complained that the fast-food giant reserves its most fun and innovative menu items for international markets, leaving its home country with the same predictable seasonal releases.

As frustrating as that may seem, there is a deliberate strategy behind this madness.

McDonald's tailors its menu in each country based on cultural preferences, ingredient availability, and what can be executed efficiently at scale. The same applies to limited-time and seasonal items.

While menus vary around the world, a small set of core products remains consistent, including the World Famous Fries, the classic Hamburger and Cheeseburger, the Big Mac, McNuggets, and the Vanilla Cone.

This localization strategy reduces operational risk and improves return on investment, which is why each country maintains its own lineup with exclusive offerings.

Historically, McDonald's has taken a cautious approach to bringing international items to the U.S., testing them selectively and tailoring availability based on regional preferences and past performance. In most cases, localized items had stayed local.

However, that is now changing.

McDonald's has revealed an entire lineup of international menu items coming to U.S. restaurants nationwide in 2026, marking one of the company's most ambitious cross-market rollouts in years.

Here is the full list, with all items set to launch within the next few days.

McDonald's brings Hot Honey Sauce to the U.S.

McDonald's (MCD) first introduced its Hot Honey Sauce in Australia in March 2025, aiming to capitalize on what it described as "the hottest trend everyone is talking about," according to a company press release. The sauce was later rolled out in New Zealand and Canada, each for a limited-time run.

Now, less than a year later, it is headed to the U.S.

The Hot Honey Sauce blends honey with red bell peppers and cayenne peppers, finished with a hint of tangy vinegar. Alongside it, McDonald's is debuting three new menu items featuring the trendy sauce.

McDonald's Hot Honey Sauce Menu

• Hot Honey Bacon McCrispy: A crispy chicken filet topped with thick-cut applewood smoked bacon, crispy jalapeños, shredded lettuce, creamy mayo, and Hot Honey Sauce, served on a toasted potato roll (Source:McDonald's)
• Hot Honey Snack Wrap: A McCrispy Strip topped with shredded cheese, shredded lettuce, and Hot Honey Sauce, all wrapped in a tortilla (Source:McDonald's)
• Hot Honey Sausage Egg Biscuit: A pork sausage patty and a folded egg, topped with Hot Honey Sauce, on a biscuit brushed with real butter (Source:McDonald's)

The Hot Honey Sauce and all three new menu items will be available for a limited time beginning January 27 at participating U.S. locations and can be added to any menu item, according to the Snackolator Instagram page.

Although the new products have not officially launched, they already appear on the McDonald's website.

McDonald's Big Arch Burger expands nationwide

The Big Arch burger debuted in Portugal in July 2024 and quickly gained traction, prompting McDonald's to expand it into Canada, Germany, Australia, the UK, Ireland, and France.

During an earnings call in mid-2024, McDonald's acknowledged the burger's strong performance and universal appeal, which led it to accelerate its expansion.

"The pilot of our larger burger offering, Big Arch, now in three international markets, Portugal, Germany, and Canada, shows that we're listening to consumer tastes and delivering," said McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski in the earnings call.

"We'll work with franchisees and partners to deploy the Big Arch faster into more international markets in 2025."

Following its positive reception abroad, McDonald's tested the Big Arch in the U.S. at its headquarters restaurant in Chicago for a limited time.

This massive burger features two quarter-pounder patties, three slices of white cheese, crispy onions, slivered onions, pickles, lettuce, and Big Arch Sauce, all sandwiched between a sliced sesame and poppy seed bun.

While the Double Quarter Pounder comes close, it's not the same. McDonald's is positioning the Big Arch as a more premium, value-driven option.

In Canada, a Big Arch meal costs about $12.59, or roughly $9 in the U.S. Despite the higher price, the company says the burger delivers greater value, an increasingly important selling point as consumers grow more cautious of their spending.

McDonald's credits the Big Arch as a key traffic driver in several markets, helping boost global comparable sales by nearly 4% year over year in the second quarter of fiscal 2025.

After extensive testing, the Big Arch will make its nationwide U.S. debut in early March 2026, according to The Street.

McDonald’s searches for a turnaround  

Like much of the fast-food industry, McDonald's has faced mounting pressure in recent years, particularly in the U.S. Slower foot traffic, rising food costs, and weaker spending have weighed on results.

Prices for food at home increased 2.6%, while prices for food away from home rose 3.7% in the 12 months ended September 2025, according to recent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

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During the quarter ending June 2025, foodservice traffic declined 1%, as consumers dined out less frequently, according to Circana. However, value menu traffic rose 1%, marking the first positive growth in three years.

Circana also found that value-focused diners are 33% more likely than non-value buyers to purchase value menu items when visiting other restaurant chains, underscoring how aggressively consumers are hunting for savings and deals.

McDonald's doubles down on value

In response to consumers' cautious spending, McDonald's has rolled out several value-focused initiatives, including the Extra Value Meals, McValue menu, and $5 Meal Deals.

In March 2025, the company launched the Restaurant Experience Team, combining operations, supply chain, franchising, development, restaurant design, delivery, and Speedee Labs to drive innovation and efficiency. It also created three new global Category Management teams focused on beef, chicken, and beverages/desserts to further specialize innovation within its food products.

“Value is rarely defined only by price,” said Circana Senior VP and Industry Advisor for Food and Foodservice David Portalatin in a statement. “Operational excellence in providing quality, affordability, great experiences, and convenience is what leads winning restaurants and their supply chain partners to greater success.”

Those efforts are beginning to pay off. In the third quarter of fiscal 2025, U.S. comparable sales increased 2.4%.

Despite improvement, McDonald's remains cautious.

"We continue to remain cautious about the health of the consumer in the U.S. and our top international markets and believe the pressures will continue well into 2026," said McDonald's CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski in an earnings call. 

"It’s a foundational expectation of our brand to bring consumers through our doors and keep them coming back."

Related: Taco Bell doubles down on making food affordable