(Trends Wide) — McDonald’s, which has focused on improving its core products to boost sales, is introducing a series of changes to improve its iconic burgers.
The breads will be softer. The cheese, thicker. The onion will be added to the burgers directly on the grill. And the Big Mac sauce? There will be more.
“We found that small changes, like tweaking the process to make the cheese hotter and meltier and adjusting the grill for a better sear, made a big difference in making our burgers tastier than ever.” Chef Chad Schafer, McDonald’s US senior director of Culinary Innovation, said in a statement Monday. The improvements apply to the Big Mac and McDouble, as well as the Classic Cheeseburger, Double Cheeseburger and Single Burger.
The Big Mac will come with more Big Mac sauce. (Credit: McDonald’s USA)
The enhancements were first introduced to burgers in international markets, according to the company, and are already available in some US cities, including Los Angeles, Seattle, Phoenix and Las Vegas. They will be available nationwide early next year.
The changes follow other improvements to key menu items.
In 2018, McDonald’s announced it was switching to fresh meat for its quarter-pound burgers, a tricky move with a big sales payoff. In 2021, it launched a crispy chicken sandwich to replace previous versions, a relatively late arrival in the chicken sandwich wars, but one that seems to have resonated with McDonald’s customers.
“We’re gaining market share in both chicken and beef,” thanks to improvements in burgers and items like the chicken sandwich, McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski said during a January conference call with analysts. “In an environment where our customers look for the simple and familiar, our core products have never been more relevant,” he said. In the US, sales from stores open at least 13 months increased 5.9% in the fourth quarter of 2022, and 10.3% for the full year.
Even the humble cheeseburger gets a makeover. (Credit: McDonald’s USA)
Focusing on promoting core menu items, rather than introducing new ones, is one way to streamline processes and reduce friction in the kitchen. And McDonald’s has been using promotions like celebrity campaigns and the Adult Happy Meal to build buzz around its flagship products.
“Throughout 2022, some of our most successful campaigns brought our customers closer to top menu items,” Kempczinski said during the January call.
McDonald’s isn’t the only brand trying to improve its core offerings.
Burger King, which announced a plan to turn around its business last year, has focused on improving the Whopper and making it more visible in advertising. In the fourth quarter of last year, he organized Whopper training courses for franchisees. In February, the brand stated that the Whopper had contributed to the increase in US sales in that quarter.
