McDonald’s All-Day Breakfast

It’s debatable which has drawn more admiration among Americans in recent weeks: the prospect of life on Mars with the discovery of liquid water on the alien planet or the long-awaited rollout of McDonald’s all-day breakfast.

“It’s finally time for breakfast on your own terms,” McDonald’s declared earlier this week. Finally, breakfast past 10:30 a.m. Flapjacks and McMuffins around the clock. Some could barely hold their excitement:

@McDonalds PLEASE TELL ME I’m NOT DREAMING?!?! My favorite sausage and biscuit whenever I want?!?!!?!

— Tank Martin (@TankGurl1980) October 6, 2015

But some hard truths have been learned since the heavily advertised launch of McDonald’s all-day breakfast on Oct. 6. Namely, that only half of the 24 items on the morning breakfast menu are on the all-day breakfast menu. A few of the items that were left behind: the Egg White Delight McMuffin, the Big Breakfast with Hotcakes and all three McGriddles sandwiches. Several McGriddlites took to Twitter to voice their consternation:

@McDonalds how dare you not include McGriddles?! This is outrageous! — cassandra (@Cass_ito) October 6, 2015

@McDonalds WHERES THE MCGRIDDLE!!!!! 😭😂 IM SERIOUS THO

— nolan (@ilove_jenlopez) October 6, 2015

@McDonalds except the mcgriddle .. you know THAT’S what everyone wanted smh 😒

— •●:._Queenbee*×× (@4shc4ke_xo) October 6, 2015

Rumors that McDonald’s had also omitted hash browns from its all-day breakfast menu had others crying foul. But McDonald’s says that nearly 90 percent of its restaurants serving all-day breakfast nationwide have hash browns on the menu. TINA.org called 10 McDonald’s locations in our area, New Haven County, Connecticut, and, sure enough, nine reported hash browns on their all-day breakfast menu.

Additionally, the 24-hour breakfast options vary depending on where you live in the country. (In its TV commercials, McDonald’s discloses this regional component with the disclaimer, “Menu items vary by location.”) The majority of the country, coated in pink below, can choose from a McMuffin menu while a smaller section of the country can pick from a Biscuit menu.

McDonald’s says the all-day breakfast menus reflect “local customer preference” and that it may add or drop items as more customers weigh in. We wonder what the Martians would have to say.

Find more of our coverage on McDonald’s here.