Customers looking for Middle Eastern cuisine at the famously American restaurant chain will be able to purchase a McFalafel, McKebab or crispy chicken in a mini pita with tehina, lettuce, tomato, onion and pickles at Israeli McDonalds.
McDonald's made a similar attempt to bring McFalafel in a lafa wrap to its Israeli restaurants in 2011, but quickly removed it from the menu after it didn't catch on. Many articles from the time questioned why Israelis would go to a burger joint for Middle Eastern dishes traditionally bought from a plethora of other vendors who specialize in these dishes.
"It was an experiment, and we realized that falafel doesn't belong in McDonald's. We wanted a vegetarian dish alongside the corn snacks, but it didn't succeed," said McDonald's Israel CEO Omri Padan told Ynet at the time.Other Middle Eastern-style meals, such as the McKebab and McShawarma, have also been trialed at Israeli branches in the past.
McDonald's is promising that the recipe has been improved and is different than the falafel it sold in 2011.
The company also recently announced that it is launching a new pilot program in which customers can order their meal online and have it delivered directly to their vehicle by a branch employee. The pilot is operating at about fifty branches, in addition to the 45 drive-thru branches already operating in Israel.