Just last week McDonalds added one long awaited treat to its menu of classic staples: curly fries!
“Twister Fries,” as the curled concoctions are now being called, hope to follow in the success of their legendary french fry forebears, offering the first new spin (or curl) to the “perfected potato” since Ray Kroc founded the fast-food chain in 1955.
But if you’re thinking about making a run for those golden arches now, you might be discouraged to hear just how far you’ll have to go to get your hands on them. For a limited time only, these twisty treats are being sold exclusively to customers in the Philippines.
“It’s time to get twisted again,” wrote McDonald’s, as Filipino customers lovingly refer to their chain, in a statement on one of its Facebook pages on Aug. 1. “The famous McDonald’s Twister Fries is definitely back! Prioritize ’em because they’re only available for the next THREE WEEKS!”
The curly fries are featured as the “cover photo” on the Facebook page.
For now, the fries are being sold a la carte at the price of P60—roughly $1.43.
Restricting distribution to the Philippines is likely meant to test the product’s popularity on a small, controlled scale, and, having established itself as a fan-favorite, Twister Fries would be expected to steam-roll expanded markets riding a wave of hype.
But this isn’t the first time McDonald’s has tested its creations on foreign soil. Among dozens of other experimental items, the Mega Tomago, a Double Big Mac with an egg and bacon flourish, was released exclusively to Japan, while the McLobster Roll, warmly received on most Canadian menus, saw only partial distribution in the U.S.
However, fans have shown their overwhelming support for this item in particular, responding by the hundreds to “Twister hours”—brief spans of time when the Facebook page shares photos of their customers enjoying the newly revived, exclusive fry, which seems to have already amassed significant cult followings.
This bodes well for hopefuls in the United States, whose unrivaled cravings helped keep such limited time offers as the McRib and the Shamrock Shake afloat.
Until then, how badly are you craving those curly fries?
