Fans line up for 3 hours on return of McDonald's milkshakes

Taipei, Nov. 19 (CNA) Hundreds of customers lined up at McDonald's outlets in Taiwan on Wednesday as the fast food chain brought back its milkshake after a nine-year hiatus, launching a limited trial at 12 designated restaurants.

Some customers began lining up as early as 7:30 a.m. to be among the first to purchase the drink and the related limited-edition merchandise, which went on sale at 10:30 a.m.

One woman from New Taipei, surnamed Hsu (徐), said she arrived three hours early at the downtown Taipei location on Guanqian Rd. running the promotion to secure a Grimace Fuzzy Bag and to buy four strawberry milkshakes for her family.

"I'm not sure if it tastes the same as before, so I'll try it first. If it's good, I'll keep buying it," she said.

McDonald's ended milkshake sales in Taiwan in November 2016 due to lower-than-expected demand, but the drink retained a loyal following.

The returning version is available in vanilla and strawberry flavors at trial locations, with customers limited to purchasing a maximum of four milkshakes per transaction.

The launch also features two limited-edition items: the Grimace Fuzzy Bag, sold at NT$199 (US$6.4) or NT$149 as a meal add-on with a limit of four per purchase, and the Taiwan-exclusive Grimace Tote Bag, priced at NT$59.

Though the McDonald's Grimace is the centerpiece of the milkshake promotion, the berry-flavored Grimace shake will not be available.