McDonald’s is giving away free Egg McMuffins just as Wendy’s launches breakfast

McDonald’s has deemed Monday “National Egg McMuffin Day” and it’s luring people in with free sandwiches. The chain also said in a press release that the day is intended to celebrate the “best” fast food breakfast sandwich as it is also turning 50 this year. But it’s likely not a coincidence that it is the same day Wendy’s takes its eagerly anticipated breakfast menu nationwide.

The offer is only valid Monday in US restaurants from 6 am to 10:30 am local time. To get the free sandwich, customers will have to order it through McDonald’s app. The company continues to push the app so it can offer personalized offers and promotions directly to customers, McDonald’s said in its most recent earnings call.

“It’s more of a defensive move rather than an offensive move,” he said about the promotion.

“National Egg McMuffin Day” is McDonald’s second breakfast promotion, which is a time of day when sales are growing for fast food chains. It already began offering two breakfast sandwiches for $4 for a limited time.

McDonald’s, which started serving breakfast all day in 2015, boasts that it is a leader in the category. “We win at breakfast,” Linda VanGosen, vice president of menu innovation at McDonald’s, previously told CNN Business. “We’re frequently innovating and adding new breakfast offerings.”

The McDonald’s holiday “is the day that the Egg McMuffin and other old breakfasts are laid to rest. No longer will people have to suffer stale, tired, old sandwiches with folded eggs and microwaved bacon,” Carl Loredo, Wendy’s chief marketing officer, told CNN Business.

Regardless of the growing competition, Hottovy thinks Wendy’s “will stick” this time after failing previously. “This is a case where Wendy’s being in the market will lift everybody,” he said.

–CNN Business’ Danielle Wiener-Bronner contributed to this report.