McDonald's to Cut Beloved Items From Late Night Menu

Scoring a late snack at McDonald's is about to get a little more difficult.

Leaked internal documents shared with Business Insider reveal that the beloved fast food chain, a fan-favorite pitstop for roadtrips and late night hangs, is making changes to its menu, debuting a brand new late-night menu on April 30 at midnight that will feature a slimmer offering.

According to the documents, customers headed to the Golden Arches during the late hours of the night or very early hours of the morning will no longer be able to order McDonald's Signature Crafted Recipes – artisan grilled-chicken sandwiches, buttermilk-crispy-chicken sandwiches, buttermilk crispy tenders, Filet-O-Fish, and premium salads. The items, along with Bagel sandwiches and Snack Wraps, will all be cut from the late-night menu, which runs from midnight until 5 a.m.

"Late Night service crew should be prepared to respond to customer questions about why an item is no longer available during late night," the documents read, suggesting that employees recommend ordering a Big Mac or a Quarter Pounder if the guest requests a Filet-O-Fish.

The menu will continue to offer Big Macs, Quarter Pounder burgers, Chicken McNuggets, fries, Happy Meals, and the chain's "All Day Breakfast" menu. Other sides and desserts, as well as McCafé coffee drinks, will also be on the menu.

"We always want our customers' experiences to be simple, smooth and delicious — any time of day," a McDonald's representative said in a statement. That means, day and night, we're always looking for ways to serve them even better."

"Starting April 30 (at participating McDonald's restaurants nationwide), we'll be simplifying what's served after midnight so customers can get the most popular favorites as fast as possible," the representative added.

This is not the first time that the Golden Arches has made major changes to their menu that didn't sit well with customers.

In February of 2018, many parents were angered after the chain announced that they would be removing cheeseburgers and chocolate milk from the default menu for kids' Happy Meals. The slashed items, which could still be ordered, were an effort by McDonald's to make Happy Meals healthier, with the new offering containing 20 percent less calories, 50 percent less added sugars, 13 percent less saturated fat, and/or 17 percent less sodium.

The chain also received criticism following the 2018 launch of its revamped Dollar Menu, which boasted items on a three tier pricing system rather than including all items on the value menu under the $1 rule.