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McDonald's is planning a major overhaul to its burgers, including its signature entree, the Big Mac, in the coming months, the Wall Street Journal reports.
The global fast food chain plans to rollout what it calls its "best burgers ever," putting a focus on correcting dry patties and squishy buns. The changes will include the following:
- Six patties grilled at a time instead of eight to have its auto-cooking mechanism apply less pressure and retain more burger patty juices
- More sauce on Big Macs
- Addition of thicker, buttery brioche buns to retain heat
- Sesame seeds more randomly scattered on buns
- Cheese taken out of refrigerators sooner to melt more when cooked
- Onions rehydrated after purchase to provide more juiciness
- Lettuce and pickles stored in smaller containers to be refreshed more often.
The changes were initially introduced at select international markets including Australia, Canada and Belgium and have since been rolled out in several West Coast cities including Los Angeles, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Sacramento, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, Denver, Boise and Tucson, among others, with plans to go nationwide by 2024.
“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,” said Chef Chad Schafer, senior director of culinary innovation, said in a statement obtained by Nation's Restaurant News.
“Our classic burgers are what made McDonald's famous. They’ve become a cultural icon over the years. We saw the opportunity to make a few changes in our kitchens to make them even more delicious and get back to what people loved most about them in the first place… making them hotter, juicier and tastier," added Tariq Hassan, McDonald’s USA Chief Marketing and Customer Experience Officer.