McDonald's is making its largest burger ever
McDonald's has confirmed it is cooking up plans to beef up its menu with a bigger burger - which could dwarf Burger King's Whopper. The fast food chain on Wednesday confirmed the new supersized burger - and said it will be testing it in select restaurants in the US and worldwide to make sure customers like it.
'Our team of chefs from around the world have created a larger satiating burger,' CFO Ian Borden said. 'We'll be testing this burger in a few markets later this year ensuring that it has universal appeal before scaling it across the globe.'
Bosses think customers want better value - so they are rushing out the new larger burger that they promise will offer 'superior value' to anything at rivals. So while no price has been set, it is thought to cost around $6 to $8. McDonald's has also not yet released the name but said the bigger burger will tested in select restaurants soon -so they can get feedback and tweak the size, recipe and price if needed. It is not yet sure what fixings or sauce it will come with.
In December, the company's CEO Chris Kempczinski said the planned bigger burger won't break the bank: 'We think we're going to be able to deliver a great tasting large burger at a superior value to what customers can get anywhere else.' It is understood it will be a totally new burger or range - rather than a change to its existing burgers.
The new bigger burger comes after the chain's Best Burger initiative. It kicked off at the start of the year and sees changes to both the preparation and ingredients. For example, burgers get a tighter sear on the grill and buns are made from a softer brioche-style recipe. Currently, McDonald's most substantial single-patty burger is the Quarter Pounder, which competes roughly with Burger King's Whopper.
Although both are made up of patties that are claimed to weigh four ounces before they are cooked, the Whopper has 670 calories while the McDonald's Quarter Pounder with cheese contains just 520 calories. 'We've listened to our customers. And we understand their desire for larger, high-quality burgers that fill you up,' Jo Sempels, who oversees markets where McDonald's has licensed its brand, said during an investor event in December when the chain first mooted the new product.
While the implication is that the larger burger would offer better value for money, exact prices are also not yet clear. Fast food restaurants in California have been raising menu prices in recent weeks after a state-mandated rise in the minimum wage to $20 an hour for those working in the sector. McDonald's has experimented with bigger burgers - but by offering larger versions of what it has on offer.
In January, the Double Big Mac - which has four beef patties instead of two and extra sauce - returned for a limited time. It cost around $7 and was a hit while on sale for a month. In December McDonald's also indicated it would open another 10,000 chains globally in the next three years or so, increasing its current tally of around 41,000 as of September to 50,000 by 2027.
McDonald's has also started rolling out CosMc - a spinoff that focuses more on coffee and drinks than food and which is said to be Starbucks-inspired. The first is in Bolingbrook, Illinois. A further nine are set to launch by the end of 2024, with one located in Dallas-Fort Worth and another in San Antonio.
