Lettuce Explain: Snack Wrap Demand Tosses McDonald’s Vermont Locations Into a Shortage

Local McDonald’s workers in Chittenden and Washington counties reported to customers that they were “temporarily out of lettuce,” and some stores posted small signs at drive-thru windows noting the sh

It’s not your imagination: some Vermonters ordering their go-to McChicken or newly returned Snack Wrap at McDonald’s have been met with an unexpected omission—no lettuce.

The reason? A nationwide lettuce shortage triggered by the July 10 relaunch of the Snack Wrap, a once-retired menu item that returned with such popularity, it overwhelmed supply chains almost immediately. The impact has reached Vermont, where several franchise locations quietly adjusted orders and menu boards to reflect the missing ingredient.

According to McDonald’s corporate communications, the rollout of the Snack Wrap led to a “brief but widespread” shortage of shredded lettuce and other key ingredients like tortillas and cheese. The surge in demand—fueled by nostalgia, social media buzz, and a surprisingly low price tag—caught the fast food giant off guard.

The Snack Wrap’s return was no small affair. National data shows McDonald’s experienced an 11% bump in foot traffic on launch day, with elevated sales continuing for days afterward. While that may be good news for the brand’s bottom line, it created logistical headaches at the store level, particularly for rural and regional supply networks.

In Vermont, where supply chains often have narrower margins and longer lead times, the effects were noticeable. Local McDonald’s workers in Chittenden and Washington counties reported to customers that they were “temporarily out of lettuce,” and some stores posted small signs at drive-thru windows noting the shortage.

To prioritize the Snack Wrap, McDonald’s instructed some franchisees to omit lettuce from lower-margin items like McChickens and suggest alternatives. According to a memo shared with operators and reported by The Wall Street Journal, stores were encouraged to steer customers toward McDoubles or McNuggets if they couldn’t fulfill the full McChicken order.

A McDonald’s location in Barre confirmed the change last week. “We got a lot of people asking, ‘How are you out of lettuce?’” said one shift manager, who asked not to be named. “We didn’t get a heads-up that it would go this fast.”

The lettuce situation is, by all accounts, temporary. Corporate sources say the shortage has already been resolved in most areas, with restocks arriving in Vermont by this past weekend. Still, the hiccup serves as a reminder of just how connected national promotions are to local supply—and how even the smallest ingredients can unravel operations in an instant.

McDonald’s last offered the Snack Wrap nationally in the 2010s before retiring it in 2016, citing kitchen efficiency concerns. Its reappearance this month was met with enthusiasm, especially among younger consumers who had long lobbied for its return online.

For Vermont fans of the wrap—or of leafy toppings on their chicken sandwich—normalcy is returning. But for a few days, the state’s McDonald’s locations found themselves caught in a crisp crunch.

“It’s been years since we’ve had this much excitement over lettuce,” joked one Montpelier customer. Then she drove off—Snack Wrap in hand, lettuce or not.