You may remember the Gilroy Garlic Fries, a concoction that began at one restaurant to celebrate one garlic festival, and sold out so qucikly that the fast foodery must have realized that it was on to something. The fries sold out, then returned to the four test locations. Now they’re back, and this time they’re available throughout the entire region.

The fries are simple enough: they’re regular old McDonald’s fries, but tossed in a purée of garlic, olive oil, Parmesan cheese, parsley, and salt. The fries have proven so popular that the chain has expanded them to even more local restaurants, and the latest round will hit 240 of them around the region.

People (and by “people” we mostly mean “Consumerist editors” here) can’t help asking, “When is this going nationwide, or at least coming to my city?” That’s a complicated question, since this was never intended as a nationwide item. They were a fun local one-off…but then, initiatives by franchisees are where items like the Egg McMuffin, the Filet-O-Fish, and all-day breakfast came from, right?

It’s the local specialty quality of this menu item that makes it difficult to supply nationwide: there most likely isn’t enough garlic to supply the whole country, since specials like this involving fresh produce have to be planned years in advance.

Maybe they’ll experiment with regional garlic in other regions, or just take the idea of garlic fries nationwide. Or perhaps they’ll stay a regional specialty like the Lobster Roll, and an object of desire for garlic fans elsewhere in the country.

McDonald’s Garlic Fries Expand Throughout SF Bay Area [Brand Eating]

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