McDonald's Corp., the world's largest hamburger chain, is rolling out two noodle offerings in Austria this week in a world premiere to test consumer demand for the Asian dish.
From September 20, the chain will add Asian noodle boxes - "McNoodles" - to its menu, but only in Austria and only for a two- or three-month trial period, according to Reuters.
McDonald's new "McNoodles" meals feature noodles with vegetables, chicken, salad and sweet-and-sour or curry sauce, and will cost around 4.99 euros ($6.56).
This world premiere follows another Asian trend recently adopted by McDonald's in Austria: bubble tea, originally a milky black tea with tapioca balls drunk through a wide straw, is now also available in other flavors.
While bubble tea is also sold at McDonald's restaurants in neighbouring Germany, the McNoodles will debut only in Austria.
"We have worked intensively for more than one and a half years in Asia and Austria on development," Hans-Christian Jurceka, product development specialist at McDonald's Austria, said in a statement.
The idea was developed by the fast food chain's Austrian section to respond to the recent popularity of Asian food in the small country, McDonald's Austria spokeswoman Ursula Riegler said, according to AFP.
The company said it hoped to tap a trend toward noodle dishes and show off its ability to innovate by launching the products, which it will import from Thailand.
