McDonald’s improves its burgers: what are the changes and when they arrive at restaurants
McDonald’s, after tweaking some of the restaurant’s signature burgers, is rolling them out across the US. Here are the changes and when you can taste them.
McDonald’s, after seeing sales drop during the last decade, introduced changes in 2018, moving to a 100 percent fresh beef for its quarter-pound burgers in 2018, along with other commitments to continue to reduce artificial additives to its menu items. Those moves to “build a better McDonald’s” and help “customers feel good about the food they’re enjoying” have paid off with sales rising the past couple years.
Now the restaurant chain has announced more improvements to some of its signature brand burgers with some “small changes” to make their classic burgers “even better.” The changes were given a trial run in international markets like Australia, Canada and Belgium where they received “rave reviews” according to McDonald’s. Those changes will now be making their debut at restaurants across the United States this year.
What changes did McDonald’s make to its burgers?
The culinary team at McDonald’s has been working to “bring even more of that iconic McDonald’s taste to fans,” and they’ve come up with “small but tasty improvements.” The changes affect the Big Mac, McDouble burger and the classic Cheeseburger, Double Cheeseburger and Hamburger.
Senior Director of Culinary Innovation at McDonald’s USA, Chef Chad Schafer said: “We found that small changes, like tweaking our process to get hotter, meltier cheese and adjusting our grill settings for a better sear, added up to a big difference in making our burgers more flavorful than ever.”
These improvements also include changes to the buns making them “softer” and “pillowy” and which are then “freshly toasted to a golden brown.” As well, to get a “juicier, caramelized flavor” on their beef patties, the culinary team added white onions to them while still on the grill. Additionally, for fans of the Big Mac, the brand’s signature burger will have “more tangy sweetness” with more Big Mac sauce.
How will I know when the new, improved McDonald’s burgers are available at my McDonald’s?
McDonald’s is rolling out the changes to their burgers first in selected markets in the West where they are now available. Currently those include Boise, Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Portland, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Seattle, and Tucson, as well as the surrounding cities. Customers across the nation will be able to try out the “tweaked” burgers by 2024. But how will you know when they are at your local restaurant?
It appears that the Hamburglar has come out of retirement as he can’t resist McDonald’s “hottest, juiciest and tastiest burgers yet.” When new ads featuring the singularly dressed resident mischief-maker in McDonaldland show up in your local area, that’s when you’ll know “you can head to your local McDonald’s to get your hands on our best-ever burgers.”