"Franchise owners are publicly frustrated with the chain’s chicken offerings and circulated a fervent National Owners Association email urging development of a chicken sandwich customers will crave, warning members not to be distracted from that priority. The letter uses dramatic, rallying language to frame the mission, defends the brand amid recent allegations of racial discrimination (emphasizing that franchisees feel duty-bound to “hold up the Arches” and assert that the truth is on their side), and laments past missteps such as a poorly received spicy BBQ chicken sandwich while invoking ambitious comparisons to historical goals like the moonshot. With customers defecting to competitors, owners even debate tactical changes — from recipe tweaks to suggestions like using dark meat — because the current McChicken is failing to retain patron loyalty." - Jaya Saxena