McDonald’s lovers now have two new reasons to visit the Golden Arches. Say hello to the Mac Jr. and the Grand Mac, two new twists on the famous Big Mac burger that everyone knows and loves. The lighter Mac Jr. comes in at 460 calories and features just one burger patty and no middle bun, perfect for those who want the taste of a Big Mac without the crazy calorie count. The Grand Mac, on the other hand, is identical to the Big Mac in construction but uses larger burger patties, totaling a third-pound of beef on the sandwich. It is about 1.5 times bigger than the regular Big Mac and contains a whopping 860 calories.
The year-long revamp project comes 50 years after the original Big Mac was invented by the late “Jim” Delligatti at a location in Uniontown, Pennsylvania. Delligatti will unfortunately never get to see the new Mac products come to fruition, as he passed away at 98 just weeks after the first announcement of the Mac Jr. and Grand Mac.
These new products were inspired by a recent poll that showed that only 20 percent of millennials have ever tried a Big Mac. That consumer group tends to stick to healthier food choices, even in fast food burgers. By visiting places like Shake Shack and In-and-Out, they get a fresher taste with the same convenience. Though both new burgers still use McDonald’s frozen patties, the novelty of new twists on an old icon may be enough to attract business.
When the introduction of new kinds of products like the Angus burger and wraps did little to attract more business to McDonald’s, CEO Steve Easterbrook, who took the job in 2015, decided to stick to what the chain is known for instead. By playing on nostalgia and offering different portion options of the same products, Easterbrook hopes to attract more business from millennial customers. Easterbrook has already introduced changes like all-day breakfast, ordering kiosks, table service, and mobile pay options to appeal to this consumer group to much success.
To ensure that the new Mac products will taste universal from coast to coast, McDonald’s is using an innovative training program. Rather than send paper instruction sheets to each location for employees to follow, this training guide, which is accessible to line cooks on desktop computers and tablets, uses videos in multiple languages to teach them how to cook the new burgers. The program records real-time data to show McDonald’s headquarters which locations are utilizing their instructions and which are “winging it.” By using Quarter Pounder burger buns for the Mac Jr. and taking other steps to ensure the ease of the new products’ introduction, Mike Haracz, the chef who headed this project, hopes employees will not find the transition difficult.
