McDonalds is tweaking its burgers

[Brian Lutz]

https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/17/business ... index.html

I have noticed that some of the burgers I've been getting lately from the local McDonald's have tasted different, and this might explain why. It sounds like the ingredients are basically the same, but there are some tweaks being made to the process to add more flavor. According to the article these changes are already present in some markets and should go nationwide by next year.

[mbz321]

Eh, a whole lot of nothing in the grand scheme of things. It seems McD's will do everything but improve the quality of their main ingredients (specifically the burger patties). Besides the Quarter Pounder, McD's burgers taste so artificial to me. Melting the cheese more or cooking the onions differently is the definition of 'lipstick on a pig'. How about bringing back menu items that people actually want like the Snack Wrap??

[storewanderer]

Given the price hikes, they should improve the quality. But even if they improve the quality, so many locations seem so broken operationally that it won't matter, they put out a sloppy product slowly and lukewarm.

One thing though, I do not think McDonalds has "downsized" its basic cheeseburger in size. Unlike Wendys where the Jr. Cheeseburger at this point is approaching "slider" size.

[storewanderer]

I saw one of these billboards for this new burgers and found a McDonalds within a few miles of said billboard. Sacramento area.

I went and ordered a Cheeseburger. I watched them make the whole thing. They got the bun, then squirted on the ketchup/mustard, then got the burger out of the warmer, put the cheese on top, and threw some raw chopped onions and pickles on top and wrapped it up.

The burger I received tasted like any old McDonald's burger. Nothing has changed. Same bun. Same cheese. Same burger. Same onions. This is the same exact product as before.

[ClownLoach]

I saw one of these billboards for this new burgers and found a McDonalds within a few miles of said billboard. Sacramento area.

I went and ordered a Cheeseburger. I watched them make the whole thing. They got the bun, then squirted on the ketchup/mustard, then got the burger out of the warmer, put the cheese on top, and threw some raw chopped onions and pickles on top and wrapped it up.

The burger I received tasted like any old McDonald's burger. Nothing has changed. Same bun. Same cheese. Same burger. Same onions. This is the same exact product as before.

My understanding is that they have only changed recipes in SoCal, Phoenix, Vegas and Seattle. They say eventually they'll be nationwide with the grilled onion cook process. It's interesting that McDonald's has so many different processes considering they basically invented factory line kitchens. They precook regular patties in bulk from frozen meat, but grill quarter pounder patties from fresh on a "Wendy's type" double sided flat top. Why can't they cook the other burgers the same way so they are edible?

[storewanderer]

Sacramento was supposedly one of the markets testing the changes.

Maybe they already stopped the test and I saw an old billboard?