The most iconic fast food burger of all time is getting beefed up, literally. The Big Mac from McDonald’s already boasts two beef patties, but for a limited time, the restaurant giant has decided to pop an extra couple of patties for the Double Big Mac starting January 24.
If you are a person of a certain age, you already know the ingredients that comprise the burger chain’s flagship sandwich. Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, and onions on a sesame seed bun will now be joined by two more beef patties, some more of the ‘special” sauce, and a larger bun to accommodate the girth of the limited time offer.
The pumped-up offering was previously available in 2020, along with a one-patty “Little Mac.” It was so popular that it is being brought back. Only a limited number of the almost 14,000 stores in America will offer the Double Big Mac, so many folks might be out of luck.
There have been a number of changes to the menu items at McDonald’s in recent years. Once the industry standard for quality, service and cleanliness, other competitors have upped their offerings significantly while McDonald’s did not. Burger King, Wendy’s, and Hardees have joined other chains like Culvers, In and Out, and Chik-fil-A in raising the quality of their ingredients while keeping prices comparable.
This led McDonald’s to launch the “Best Burger” initiative to make certain items on the menu even better. Small touches like putting onions on burgers while they are still cooking, softer buns, and “perfectly” melted cheese are the company’s response to the rest of the industry and the wholesale changes made that have closed the gap between McDonald’s and all the rest.
Recently, McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski said that customers want bigger burgers, and that the chain was “working on that.” In the meantime, the Double Big Mac will fill that need, considering there are no product tests, new ingredients, or kitchen modifications needed. With fast food joints hiking prices as a result of Joe Biden’s economy, many consumers are concerned that bigger burgers at McDonalds will come with a bigger price tag, prompting Kempckinski to claim, “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.”
The Big Mac was created in 1967 by franchisee Jim Deligatti in Uniontown, Pennsylvania. It was an instant hit with the corporation as a whole after Ray Croc, the head of the company, first tasted the saucy “meal on a bun.” Since then, the double-decker sandwich has seen some minor alterations over the years, but none as big as the two extra patties and extra sauce the Double Big Mac is getting.
It is unlikely that the sandwich will remain long-term, even if it does sell well. It is more likely a placeholder for folks wanting a bigger, beefier burger until the chain can roll out something bigger than the Quarter Pounder. Either way, if your local McDonald’s is offering it, might as well indulge while you can.
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