McDonald’s has one of the most popular hamburgers in fast food.
Fans could see something very different at the Golden Arches this year.
And McDonald’s has one big change to a hamburger that will have fans racing to the drive-thru.
McDonald’s bigger hamburgers debut in Europe
McDonald’s has been working on bringing a bigger hamburger to the market.
The Big Arch features two-quarter pound all beef patties, crispy onions, three slices of cheese, and a tangy special sauce.
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The Big Arch features double the beef of the classic Big Mac.
McDonald’s said that Big Arch would meet customer demand for a bigger hamburger that wasn’t prohibitively expensive when it was announced in December 2023.
Customers wanted more beef in their hamburgers.
McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski told CNN that big hamburgers were part of the company’s growth strategy.
“In the U.S., in a number of markets, around the world, having a larger burger is an opportunity,” Kempczinski said. “We’re working on that. That is something that you should expect in the future.”
The fast food chain still wanted to keep its reputation for value despite the bigger burger.
“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,” Kempczinski added.
The Big Arch was tested in several international markets including Canada, Portugal, and Germany this summer.
It was a hit with fans in the markets where it was introduced.
“It’s a quintessential McDonald’s burger with a twist on our iconic, familiar flavors,” Kempczinski stated.
The Big Arch could be headed to the United States
McDonald’s Chief Financial Officer Ian Borden told investors during an October earnings call that the Big Arch would be expanding to more markets.
“We’re encouraged by the results showing the Big Arch has universal appeal with sizable opportunity across markets,” Borden said. “And thanks to the success of the pilot, we’re accelerating plans and we’ll work with franchisees and partners to deploy the Big Arch faster to more international markets in 2025.”
The fast-food chain wouldn’t confirm if the United States would be one of the new markets.
Kempczinki previously said that the company wants to see how it does internationally before pulling the trigger on bringing it to the United States.
McDonald’s has used a strategy of testing an item overseas to see if it’s successful before releasing it domestically.
The company tested the McCrispy and other chicken sandwiches overseas to see which one did best before settling on the McCrispy for a broader rollout.
McDonald’s is hoping to see if the Big Arch has a worldwide appeal to customers.
“In the past, you would have seen us try and get after that opportunity in 20 different markets in 20 different ways,” Borden explained. “And then you don’t have the ability to build a global equity that you can drive at scale.”
McDonald’s has also experimented with a Big Mac that had four hamburger patties.
The Big Arch could be the next evolution in McDonald’s hamburgers as customers search for bigger and more satisfying options.
