“Customers want to personalize their meals with locally relevant ingredients,” McDonald’s Chief Executive Don Thompson said on Tuesday, after the fast-food giant again posted disappointing earnings. Starting in January, he said, McDonald’s will simplify the core menu to highlight popular items, cut back on items that don’t sell well, and begin to allow regional groups of franchisees to offer more localized versions of burgers, beverages, and chicken and breakfast items.

In one indication of this new regionalism, McDonald’s confirmed last week that the McRib rollout would not be nationwide since pork is more popular in some regions than others. Other regional offerings so far include chorizo burritos (Texas, Hawaii, and the Midwest), mozzarella sticks (New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut), and the cheddar bacon onion burger (previously in the New York area).

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