For those of you who are dying to try your “lose weight eating McDonald’s” diet, and maybe want to introduce an occasional Egg McMuffin to your late night adventures, the folks behind the glowing, golden arches have heard your call. Or, well, those of you who run through the McDonald’s drive-thru after a night out at the bars. Called the “After Midnight” menu, consumers who frequent the establishment between the hours of midnight and 4 AM may have the opportunity to order items from McDonald’s’ (how do you use the possessive apostrophe with that particular brand name, anyway?) breakfast menu.

The reason the word “may” is used is, as with most promotional changes, the roll out will be done in a “test phase” style, with only a certain number of McDonald’s stores featuring the new flexibility. If the limited introduction succeeds, expect to see the expanded choices appearing in more and more McDonald’s businesses around the country. The details of the new menu are not complete, but reports reveal customers will be able to mix and match items from both menus.

That means if you want your Big Mac to come with hash browns instead of fries, you will be accommodated; provided your McDonald’s is participating in the After Midnight roll out. Aside from the buzz and consumer satisfaction, the primary motivator for introducing these (long-desired?) breakfast items to the McDonald’s after hours menu is, of course, for the bottom line:

For McDonald’s, whose U.S. sales have been a bit wobbly in the past year, it’s all about boosting business in tough times. While the national economy might be on the rebound, lower-income consumers – who are critical to McDonald’s bottom line – are not quickly returning to fast food eateries. Unable to raise menu prices, McDonald’s is now trying to attract new customers by offering something most major fast food chains don’t: late-night breakfast munchies.

If that’s the case, considering the popularity of their breakfast menu, one wonders why such an inclusion wasn’t considered as soon as McDonald’s introduced their 24-hour establishments.