Heiglburger
Katherine Heigl, from Grey's Anatomy and Knocked Up eats a Big Mac at the end of the 30th birthday party. Don't dribble any special sauce on that get up, miss! [via Fred S.]
Entries tagged with 'McDonald's'
Two Triple Cheeseburgers for $3 at McDonald's This Week
From now until Sunday, November 16, McDonald's is selling two triple cheeseburgers for $3. A commenter in this forum pointed out though that you can already get three double cheeseburgers for $3 and get the name number of patties. Also advertised is a deal for two Egg McMuffins for $3 until December 31. [Tip 'o the hat to: Sean L. McCarthy] Related: McDonald's Double Cheeseburger with One Slice of Cheese, Coming Soon
Quarter Pounder, McDonald's No-Brand Burger Japanese Joint
We just got this succinct email from Paul Petrunia: "McDonald's opens up no-brand 'Quarter Pounder' joint in Japan."
What's on the menu? Duh!
Anti-branding as a concept isn't new to the Japanese. The successful Muji stores there are based on the idea of "no brand" and in fact Wikipedia says the store's name is "derived from the first part of Mujirushi Ryōhin, translated as "No Brand Quality Goods."
This looks like a pretty cool location and a neat no-branding of a familiar product. It would be even cooler applied to a real hamburger joint serving real quarter-pound hamburgers.
Ferran Adrià Knows Foam, Not Burgers
Someone feed Ferran Adrià an In-N-Out burger, stat!
In an interview in the UK's Independent, El Bulli's Ferran Adrià, known as one of the greatest chefs in the world, professes his apparently longstanding admiration for McDonald's hamburgers. Adrià "said he did not think he could make a better hamburger for the money." That's not really the point. Why do I say that?
McDonald's Double Cheeseburger with One Slice of Cheese, Coming Soon
Due to rising food costs, McDonald's is planning to replace the double cheeseburger on their Dollar Menu with the McDouble, a double cheeseburger with once slice of cheese instead of two. The double cheeseburger will be available for $1.19.
Qué tal Las Hamburguesas? Fast Food Burger Match, Colombia vs. USA
Editor's note: J. Kenji Alt is a serious, possibly crazy (in a good way) burger fiend, having attempted to make a Blumenburger and successfully eaten 12 burgers in eight hours. Now you can read his report about two of the most popular fast food burgers in Colombia and how they compare to their American counterparts. Learn more about Kenji in his Grilled interview or check out his blog, Goodeater.org.
I was recently down in Colombia killing ducks and going to my fiancée’s sister’s wedding and took the opportunity to research a story for the Boston Globe on Colombian street food. Being the hardcore burgervore that I am, I also wanted to use the opportunity to do a comparison of Colombian burgers vs. American burgers. But knowing all too well that there’s such a wide variance in opinion on what makes a great burger (and already holding a bias against your average Colombian restaurant burger because they almost always mix onions and spices into the meat—a big no-no for me), I was at a dilemma.
Colombia doesn’t have the types of restaurants or burger styles we consider normal in America. There’s no pubs serving 9-ounce flame-grilled patties, no ice-cream stands griddling up 4-ounce beach burgers, no diners steaming sliders. Instead, you’ve got big hacienda-esque restaurants with Italian-themed burgers with mozzarella and marinara, or small family-owned restaurants with menus consisting of arepas, mojarra, rice fried with soy sauce (arroz tai), alongside handmade meatloaf burgers.
I’m not saying I couldn’t find good burgers amongst all the other incredible food Colombia has to offer; all I’m saying is that I couldn’t think of a good benchmark to compare them to the American burger experience.
In Videos: The First McDonald's Commercial
The first McDonald's TV commercial was a pretty low-budget affair. As the site TV Squad points out, Ronald has a paper cup on his nose as part of the costume, fercryinoutloud. It's also striking for how creepy Ronald looks and sounds.
12-Year Old McDonald's Hamburger, Still Looking Good
Photograph taken by Karen Hanrahan
The McDonald's hamburger on the right is from 2008; the one on the left is from 1996. And they both look fairly edible.
Wellness educator and nutrition consultant Karen Hanrahan has kept a McDonald's hamburger since 1996 to illustrate its nonexistent ability to decay. Aside from drying out and bit and having "the oddest smell," it apparently hasn't changed much in the past 12 years.
This isn't the first time someone kept an uneaten McDonald's hamburger for an extended period of time for the sake of science. Or in the case of the Bionic Burger Museum, multiple burgers for over 19 years. There are even instructions on how to start your own collection of old, self-preserving burgers.
Anyone else have experience with Fast Food That Just Won't Rot?
Man Eats 23,000 Big Macs in 36 Years
Don Gorske has accomplished something few of us could even imagine—he has eaten nearly 23,000 Big Macs in 36 years. The 54-year-old Gorske has been keeping track of his consumption ever since 1972, driven by a mix of his obsessive compulsive disorder and a never ending love for Big Macs.
He's even written a book about his Big Mac-filled life, titled 22,477 Big Macs. The 212 pages reveal that there's more to being obsessed with Big Macs than just eating them:
By 1991, I had eaten a Big Mac in all 26 Major League Baseball Stadiums, and by 1994, in all 48 contiguous United States. By 2001 I had eaten a Big Mac at all 22 NASCAR tracks, and by 2003 at all 32 National Football League venues. With all the new stadiums being built, in 2006 I ate a Big Mac at my 49th NFL venue, my 49th Major League Baseball park and at the 46th Major League Baseball park that the Milwaukee Brewers have played in.
That's dedication.
Related
The Evolution of the Big Mac?
Big Macs Explain International Exchange Rates
Big Macs Explain International Exchange Rates
The Economist makes it easier for us to understand how the Swiss franc, Czech koruna, and other international currencies stack up economically by using Big Macs. Based on the theory of purchasing-power parity, which argues that, ideally, exchange rates move to reach equilibrium, this index allows the mega sandwich to predict exchange rates. While it's a crafty analysis—and who doesn't like a melancholy Ronald McDonald in an Economist chart—different countries look at the burger differently. An inferior good to some, it's a normal dinner in poorer regions. Another issue: India, obviously a major player in global economies, is absent. The Hindu-dominated country skips the meaty patty for religious reasons, and can instead order the Maharaja Mac, made with chicken.
Eric Ripert Inspired by McDonald's, Burger King
Chef Eric Ripert's burger at Westend Bistro in Washington, D.C., won't wow the customer who wants esoteric mustard and truffle cheese options.
It's a very simple burger, as was previously reported. Meat, lettuce, tomato, pickle, condiments from the recognizable tubes. And the most "interesting" part? A toasted challah bun. At $18, some customers are automatic critics, noting the lack of creativity on this burger.
But now the simplicity makes more sense. Ripert told Gourmet magazine that he takes inspiration from Burger King and McDonald's, especially the Big Mac. Size is important for Ripert, who likes that "you can grab them in both hands, and they're never too tall or too wide." The toppings are also spot-on for him: "all to scale, including the thickness of the tomatoes, the amount of lettuce."
Whoever can snap a shot of him playing with plastic rainbow balls in the parking lot ball pit gets points.
McDonald's to Offer Olympics-Inspired Menus Around the World
To celebrate the upcoming Olympic Games in Beijing, McDonald's is beefing up its menus around the world. The "China Menu" in Colombia and Argentina will offer the Beijing Burger—a patty topped with chop suey and ginger sauce on a bun speckled with black and white sesame seeds—along with fried "rice sticks" in lieu of fries, and caramel-and-banana sundae instead of the McFlurry.
Australia will feature five different burgers as a part of the "Flavor of the Games" promotion: The American, The Euro, The African, The Asian, and The Australian.
Unfortunately, Stateside folks won't get anything nearly as global—just Olympic athletes on the packaging for the Southern Style Chicken. Russia also gets the short end of the stick: ho-hum chicken and fish sandwiches and a shrimp salad as part of the "McFresh" line. Maybe we should just get Chinese takeout? [via Goodies First]
McDonald's to Nintendo DS WiFi Users: Game Over
According to DS Fanboy, Nintendo DS users will no longer be able to avail themselves of the free WiFi that McDonald's was formerly offering.
While you won't be able to get your free online game on under the Golden Arches, you can use Nintendo's handy hotspot finder to go wireless for free.
How to Order a McDonald's 2 Cheeseburger Extra Value Meal With No Cheese
What's so difficult about ordering a 2 Hamburger Extra Value Meal at McDonald's? Well, it doesn't exist. But there's a 2 Cheeseburger Extra Value Meal (2CEVM for short)—surely you could just order that without the cheese and end up with a 2HEVM.
If only life were so simple. Asking for cheese-less cheeseburgers in a 2CEVM at McDonald's is only mildly easier than walking on water. The Consumerist covers one man's never ending battle of mostly fruitless attempts in trying to order a 2CEVM with no cheese. Some choice quotes (emphasis mine):
Have you ever tried to order a 2HEVM? It confuses the heck out of the register drones. There's no button for it, and as you know: At McDonald's, if there's no button for it on the register it doesn't exist.
As a last resort, sometimes I have to ask for "Two Cheeseburgers, No Cheese." Don't ever do this. As many McDonald's order takers have tried to explain to me "cheese burgers without cheese are just hamburgers." In other words, they are a non-item. A thing that cannot exist. Anathema.
If I'm lucky, I'll be able to cajole them into ordering the 2CEVM and pressing the "grill:no-cheese" button. They'll be nervous about it though. Afterward, they'll stare at the register as if they expect it to blow up or start waving robotic arms around and shouting "DOES... NOT...COMPUTE...."
And the craziness continues. Why much McDonald's make it so difficult to get a value-priced combination of two hamburgers, fries, and a drink?
Related
In Videos: Creepy '70s McDonald's Commercial
Big MacChicken Mashup: A McDonald's Big Mac with Chicken Patties for Buns
The Evolution of the Big Mac?
In Videos: Creepy '70s McDonald's Commercial
"Get yourself ready for a trip through McDonaldland," is the opening line of the song in the no-doubt LSD-inspired McDonald's commercial that follows. Trip being the operative word here. As the blog AdFreak put it, "Why are all old McDonald's commercials so creepy?" I couldn't agree more.
Big MacChicken Mashup: A McDonald's Big Mac with Chicken Patties for Buns
One Big Mac + Three McChicken sandwiches = The Big MacChicken, a Big Mac with chicken patties as the bread:
With the first bite I found myself going through a crunchy/juicy layer after layer and the texture was to die for. Everything just worked. Clouds split as a bright ray of sunshine beamed down to my table. The elderly couple a few tables over started playing a harp as a unicorn walked by during my second bite. I was in heaven for a few seconds then the guilt hit me. Was I really doing this? 4 sandwiches at once? I had to stop. There was no way I could finish this monster.
Fast forward a half hour later, and DJ Grocery says: "All I know is that my mind is telling me that the sandwich was absolutely delicious but my body is rejecting it."
Two All Beef Patties, Special Sauce, Feng Shui
As part of McDonald's strategy to appeal to local tastes and aesthetics, a Mickey D's in Hacienda Heights, California, which has a large Asian community, has gone all feng shui. Elements include "leather seats, earth tones, bamboo plants, and water trickling down glass panels." Near the counter, eight rows of red tiles appear on the wall (eight is a lucky number, and red symbolizes "good luck, laughter, and prosperity"). [via Jason Perlow]
Related: Feng Burger
The Evolution of the Big Mac?
Back story: McDonald's Japan recently released a four-patty Big Mac, which is surprising—I mean, you'd think McDonald's U.S.A. would have come up with this first. Anyway, bloggers in the Land of the Rising Sun then went out and took pictures of the thing, including Takeshi Fukuda, who imagined its eventual evolution there.
To make sense of it all, the blog Calorie Lab put together this little chart (right) of Takeshi's photo series, complete with hypothetical "Mac" names.
Crazy Swiss McDonald's Flyer
From the AHT mailbag, a nice surprise from Maki Itoh of the foodblog Just Hungry.
Click through for high-res version on Flickr.
Adam,
I'm not sure if this would be useful for you, but I thought of AHT when I saw it. It's a coupon flyer for McDonald's here in Switzerland that was shoved into our mailboxes yesterday. Take a look: http://www.flickr.com/photos/makiwi/2179850329/
I thought it was the best piece of junk mail (besides the full bar of chocolate we got last year...) I've ever seen.
—Maki
From the Mailbag: How I Spent My 25th Birthday
Dear Lauren/AHT,
Wanted to let you know, to celebrate my quarter-century, I had a quarter-pounder. Ha!
—(Your Brother) Max
Dear Max,
That's a lot better than renting a car just because you can. Happy birthday!
Sin-sear-ly,
AHT (and your sister)
McDonald's Angus Third Pounder
Angus Deluxe: A six-ounce patty, with American cheese, sliced red onions and tomatoes, green leaf lettuce, mayo, and pickles. So, yesterday "Hamburger Matty" and I took the bait and visited the McDonald's at 46th Street and Broadway in Times Square at the invitation of some McD's PR folks. We were there to try the chain's new Angus Third Pounder burgers—the Angus Deluxe, Angus Mushroom and Swiss, and Angus Bacon and Cheese. Did we drink the Kool-Aid?
Let's just say the Angus burgers were the best burgers on the menu. The patties were thicker, exhibited some nice exterior searing, had some noticeable juiciness, and were augmented with some nice-looking, good-tasting, fresh and crisp toppings. The Deluxe actually tasted like a hamburger and not a dry facsimile of one. That said, they have McDonald's DNA through and through, and somehow manage to retain that signature taste that almost everyone is familiar with—there's just more of it. Sort of like a bigger, better cooked Quarter Pounder; if you can't get behind the taste of the chain's standard fare, the Angus isn't likely to get you in the door. And it's not until you isolate the meat from the toppings that you'll notice a difference in flavor and texture. The Angus patty was slightly more tangy—and I mean slightly. It's a minor upgrade in beefiness that I'm afraid was lost beneath all the toppings. The texture was more pleasing than that of Quarter Pounder—looser and not as tough.
Burger Link Roundup: Texas, L.A., Silicon Valley
- One of my favorite burger bloggers, the Texas Burger Guy, returns from a monthslong absence on his blog with a review of Arnold Burger in Amarillo, Texas. Even if you don't live in the Lone Star State, you've gotta love TBG's site, which has great terminology for describing burgers—the "herd killer" factor, for instance, "measures the sheer size and weight of a burger," while the "ooze factor" measures a sandwich's juiciness. Arnold Burger: 1611 South Washington Street, Amarillo TX 79102; 806-372-1741
- LAist checks out 25 Degrees at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. It's been called the best burger in L.A. by some, which is saying a lot, since L.A. is a city known for its contributions to the nation's burger heritage. 25 Degrees: 7000 Hollywood Boulevard 90028; 323-785-7244
- The Silicon Valley Burger Guide escaped my notice when it was posted back in 2006, but the people behind the site Food Notebook have been slowly adding noted burgers to their list. The latest is the Alpine Inn in Portola Valley, which rates a "decent."
- What goes best with a burger? An ice-cold cola? A beer? Who cares what your choice is when you can place it on this stackable coaster set that forms a burger when not in use. $20.27 from drinkstuff.com
- In the Land Down Under, McDonald's holds the NameIt Burger contest: Give the chain's latest burger its name and the lucky Aussie will win some stuff and get your mug in a commercial. The new burger's components are "homestyle beef" (whatever that is), tatsoi salad mix, steak and onion sauce, tomato, cheese, and grilled onions.
- A newspaper in Japan notes a strange footnote in Japanese burger history from the 1970s and '80s—the Worm Burger: "Instead of a beef patty, the Worm Burger used ground worms, cut the onions a little, added wheat flour, a runny egg and blended in milk to make it go down easier.... Despite the best intentions, the Worm Burger ended up as a major flop. Marketers had been targeting women and young people, but appear to have struggled to overcome worms' image as a bizarre food." Hmm, you don't say?
On TV: Behind the Big Mac
Photograph from theotherway on Flickr
Tonight on CNBC there's going to be a repeat of Big Mac: Inside the McDonald's Empire. I missed it on July 25, but I'm curious to see tonight what the cable news channel has up its sleeve. Airing at 9 p.m. and 12 a.m. ET.
The Burger Museum: Weirdest Collection Ever
I don't know what's scarier, that this guy has been saving McDonald's burgers for 18 years in his basement, unrefrigerated, or that the burgers still "look exactly the same." [via Jason Perlow]
Grilled: Mr. McChronicles
Ladies and gentlemen, I happened across the McChronicles shortly after starting A Hamburger Today. It's a blog written by one very McDonald's-obsessed man. At first, I thought it was some sort of McD's guerrilla-marketing stunt, but after reading the site for a few months, it became clear that the man who I came to think of as "Mr. McChronicles" (the author maintains anonymity on the site, so I have nothing else to call him) had no affiliation with the chain other than eating at it frequently and critiquing it. I finally got around to giving him the third degree last week. So, without further ado, let's get Grillin'! —The Mgmt.
Name: The McChronicles
Location: New York
Occupation:
So you're essentially a "customer evangelist" for McDonald's. Let's get this out of the way, since a lot of AHT readers will have the same question I do: Do you work for McD's?
Some people are "sure" I do, many wonder if I do (and ask). The truth is that I don't, never have, and think that working at a McDonald's (as a crew member) would ruin the relationship I currently have (as a pure consumer). Being hired as a "fake blogger" is a reprehensible thought to me, considering the goal of the McChronicles blog. I have absolutely no affiliation with the company, or any related organization, in any way.
Why McDonald's? When did your fascination with the chain begin?
Like many people, I have something within me that has a very positive reaction to McDonald's. Once, while entering a McDonald's with a middle-aged, college-educated engineer, he turned to me and said, "No matter how many times I go to McDonald's, and no matter how old I am, when I walk in I always feel like a kid." That statement hit me hard because I feel the very same way. I never articulated it, or thought much about it, but I do share the exact same feelings.
OK—so that "something" inside me probably started in the '60s. Like everyone else of my era, I grew along with McDonald's. Face it, in the early days, they were like the awkward kid next door—interesting and amusing as they found their way. At some point they reached their stride and became significant. Their ads got stronger, more persuasive. Their message became more compelling and personally meaningful. Eventually, for a young kid, McDonald's was high on my short list of really cool places to go (or to aspire to go). But I had two big problems: I lived very far from the nearest McDonald's (and rarely traveled), and my family was very poor. As a result, I don't think I went to a McDonald's until I was 12. Even then, I had to borrow money from a friend to be able to buy something.
During my college years, I lived near a few McDonald's. With money from a part-time job I was able to eat there occasionally. It felt good. My first pre-date with my wife was at a McDonald's.
After I got my first "real" job, I discovered that there was a McDonald's right around the corner from where I worked. It always felt like a real treat when I ate there. At one point, 100 percent of my entire consumption was from McDonald's for well over 30 days. I never really kept track because it wasn't a big deal to me (this was in the late '70s, pre-Super Size Me). I didn't gain weight or feel bad. No big deal.
Fast forward to the modern era. Having an undergraduate degree in business (focus on international business), an MBA, and 25 years of business experience, and being responsible for a corporation's entire global marketing and communications program, I had become relatively astute in business, marketing, advertising, and the like. I would often sit with my wife during lunch and comment on my observations on how the McDonald's we were sitting in seemed to be doing.
With my consumer hat on, I slowly adopted the role of "every customer." I observed as moms schlepped their kids in and out, as the retired rallied for coffee, as business people swooped in for a quick bite, and as teens co-opted McDonald's as their "third place." And, with my businessperson hat on, I studied the crew, the managers, the owners, the corporation, the delivery people, the facilities, the advertising, the challenges of running the business of McDonald's. As my observations, comments, praises, and criticisms mounted, my wife grew a bit frustrated. One day she said, "I can't do anything about these things you are pointing out. Why don't you organize your thoughts and tell someone who can do something about them?" Bam! It hit me. She was right. I was driving her nuts and wasting my time. So, I turned to blogging.
Guilty Pleasure: McNugget-Enhanced Cheeseburger
McNugget-Enhanced Cheeseburger, blogged to AHT from the Flickr photostream of Slice
Four or more years ago, before A Hamburger Today was even a glimmer in my eye, I was introduced to the magic of the McNugget-Enhanced McDonald's Cheeseburger.
It was at a McDonald's somewhere along the Connecticut Turnpike, and I was traveling with my girlfriend at the time. I was perplexed when a friend of hers ordered the two cheeseburger meal and a six-piece box of McNuggets. "Glutton," I thought.
But what happened when we sat down at one of the uncomfortable plastic booths was pure alchemy. Peeling the bun top away from the semi-melted cheese, he placed three of the oddly shaped chicken chunks on his sandwich.
Begging one McNugget off him, I tried it on a portion of my cheeseburger and was a bit amazed. Two distinct tastes, yet a whole new experience. The whole as more than the sum of its parts.
I tried it a couple more times, on the couple occasions I found myself at McD's with that dude, but I hadn't had it in ages. So the other night when I found myself with little time to spare for dinner, and spurred by discussion of this mash-up either on the Talk section of Serious Eats or here in the Serious Eats–AHT office, I hit the clown's place around the corner from my apartment and grabbed a single cheeseburger and a Dollar Menu four-piece. I had to document this Frankenburger, after all.
It's still as weirdly good as ever. But I think it's best had in four-year intervals.
Grilled: Mister Hamburger
Ladies and gentlemen, I don't recall how we first happened upon Mister Hamburger's lively dispatches, but when we did, we were immediately taken by his no-holds-barred reviews and his neat little burger icons that quickly convey specific information about a given sandwich. We were also immediately saddened that we didn't think of such a cool icon-based ratings scheme. I should have Grilled Mister Hamburger much sooner, but better late than never, right? So, without further ado, let's get Grillin'! —The Mgmt.
Name: Mister Hamburger
Location: Mister Hamburger is currently in Europe, but usually New York City
Occupation: Being Mister Hamburger
How often do you eat burgers these days? Are you still on the Mister Hamburger Weight Loss Regimen?
Mister Hamburger eats as many hamburgers as he can. His intake rests at about two or three per week. Mister and Missus Hamburger have to cook their own sometimes because Rome does not share the same love of hamburgers. Mister Hamburger's regimen is kind of over, Mister Hamburger got back on the horse and eats crap again, but Mister Hamburger continued running.
Where did you eat your most recent one?
As of publication: The Hard Rock Café in Rome.
Cheese: American, cheddar, other?
All. Mister Hamburger likes cheddar, mozzarella, blue cheese, American, fontina, Gruyère, Emmenthal, Monterey Jack, Parmigiano, Basque. And to all the cheese Mister Hamburger missed, Mister Hamburger loves you. Mister Hamburger has started taking notes about various cheeses on a scrap bit of paper because Mister Hamburger forgets what types of cheeses he buys at the supermercato in Roma.
Ketchup or mustard?
Mister Hamburger loves ketchup and gives Heinz five hamburgers.
Sesame-seed or plain?
Mister Hamburger loves a well-toasted sesame seed bun. Mister Hamburger loves finding the sesame seeds in his teeth after he finishes his burger.
Grilled, griddled, or broiled?
Mister Hamburger takes it any way he can get it, but he prefers grilled.
And how would you like that done, sir?
Mister Hamburger demands medium-rare, unless Mister Hamburger finds himself in countries that serve excellent-quality meat, in which case, he demands rare.
The Evolution of Grimace
What does it say about the '70s and early '80s that so many food mascots were downright thieves?
When Grimace first debuted on television screens in McDonald's commercials in 1971 he did not debut as Ronald McDonald's right hand man. Far from it! In fact, Grimace was originally a four-armed cave dwelling beast who went by the moniker "The evil Grimace" and stole the milkshakes of McDonaldland.
The Evolution of the Grimace: Criminal Mastermind or Loveable Fool? [The Pop Culture Addict; via Anil]
A McDonald's Shake, Literally
Will It Blend purees a Big Mac, fries, and shake together. "In seconds, we have 24 ounces of wonderful meal."
A McValue Smoothie: Garnish with fries. Serve.
Will It Blend? McDonald's Extra Value Meal [willitblend.com; via Off the Broiler]
McD's Cheeseburger: 'Interface as Brand'
produkter05_300dpi, blogged to AHT from the Flickr photostream of eatmydesign
Interesting essay from a branding-marketing standpoint on the nature of user interface as brand identity. (Think iPod — the clickwheel interface and white headphones are instantly recognizable without the need for the Apple logo on the product's face.) Carry that through to food, as the folks at Information Architects did, and you have the McDonald's cheeseburger:
... The cheeseburger has the easiest food interface one could think of. No forks, no knives, no spoons, no plates, no chopsticks. Like a sandwich, but softer and sweeter and above all: Standardized. No alarms and no surprises when eating a cheeseburger.The standardization makes the cheeseburger’s interface a branded one. Only a McDonald’s cheeseburger looks like a a McDonald’s cheeseburger. I unwrap it and look at the bread and the meat and the ketchup mustard color pattern: McDonald’s cheeseburger it is.
The Interface of a Cheeseburger [Information Architects; via "Hamburger" Matty]
Sino the Times
From yesterday's Wall Street Journal:
Beef, grown domestically, costs more than other meats in China, and consumers here consider it a luxury good. McDonald's is playing on its upscale image, as well as on traditional Chinese views that eating beef boosts energy and heightens sex appeal. The word "beef" in Chinese has connotations of manliness, strength and skill.The burger chain's TV commercials are even racier than the print ads. In one spot, a man and a woman eat Quarter Pounders, and close-up shots of the woman's neck and mouth are interspersed with images of fireworks and spraying water. The actors suck their fingers. The voice-over says: "You can feel it. Thicker. You can taste it. Juicier."
Sex, Skin, Fireworks, Licked Fingers -- It's a Quarter Pounder Ad in China [Wall Street Journal; via Gawker]
'Ghetto Big Mac': Remixing the Dollar Menu
I think this one has been floating around the web for a while, but I just now saw it. I been under a rock, yo. How to create the "most illest, futuristic sandwich ever," for $1 and half an order of fries. By dallaspenn.com and ohword.com.
Ghetto Big Mac [YouTube; via McChronicles]
Affleck's Big Mac Attack
From what we at A Hamburger Today have read, the stars are loath to eat in public lest a paparazzo shap a photo of them mid munch. But trying to snarf some McD's in the privacy of your own car looks even crazier. To wit, Ben Affleck, driving while dining.
Ben Affleck as "The Hamburglar" [TMZ.com; via Michele]
The Upsell
It's called the "upsell," the not-so-subtle art of prompting the customer to order additional menu items with such questions as the classic "You want fries with that?" or the less specific "Anything else?" But what happens when the customer keeps ordering? And ordering and ordering and ordering? Call it the "upbuy," counterattack to the upsell ...
From Australian television show The Chaser:
The Chaser McDonald's Upsell [YouTube; via SuperSizedMeals.com]
Man Breaks into McD's, Cooks Burgers
We would have at least recommended Burger King:
Lake Havasu City police are looking for a real-life Hamburglar.A man broke into a McDonald's early Sunday morning through a roof vent.
Surveillance video shows the man turning on the grill, cooking and eating a couple of burgers before fleeing.
Man breaks into McDonald's to cook, eat burgers [azcentral.com]
You Don't Win Friends with Salad
McDonald's may be flaunting their Chicken Selects and gourmet salads, but it's the tried and true cheeseburger that's bringing in the coin. Last week, the New York Times wrote that McDonald's has had 36 months of sales growth because of the dollar menu.
And every day, McDonald's moves a lot more double cheeseburgers than either salads or the new Premium Chicken Sandwich — most versions of the sandwich have more calories and more sodium than a double cheeseburger. Richard Adams, a former McDonald's executive who now works as a consultant for franchisees, says the average store sells roughly 50 salads a day and 50 to 60 Premium Chicken Sandwiches, compared with 300 to 400 double cheeseburgers from the Dollar Menu.
...
Since McDonald's started advertising the Dollar Menu nationally, the double cheeseburger has become the chain's most ordered item. Even priced at $1, double cheeseburgers bring in more revenue than salads or the chicken sandwiches, which cost $3.19 to $4.29.
Living in an ethnically diverse neighborhood in New York City, it's not a big surprise that the Dollar Menu is a success. McDonald's knows their target market (blacks and hispanics) and hits them over the head with cheap and salty treats (metaphorically, usually).
Personally, I'm waiting for the quarter menu. I won't rest until I can create rock-hard blockage in my arteries for a mere twenty-five cents. Then I can die happy, er, immediately.
Outsourcing the Drive-Thru
From the New York Times:
[Julissa] Vargas works not in a restaurant but in a busy call center in [Santa Maria, California], 150 miles from Los Angeles. She and as many as 35 others take orders remotely from 40 McDonald's outlets around the country. The orders are then sent back to the restaurants by Internet, to be filled a few yards from where they were placed.
McDonald's hopes the practice will shave a second or two off each transaction—which would add up to significant time if multiplied by the billions and billions served by the burger giant.
Great. It's already hard enough to understand the garbled speakers without the order-taker being MILES AWAY.
The Long-Distance Journey of a Fast-Food Order [New York Times; via Get In My Head Or My Belly]
Do You Want Fries with That Wedding?
After spending most of their money on a new house, Long Island newlyweds Corey Cutcheon and Doreen Brown had precious little scratch to throw down for their reception.
Did somebody say McDonald's? You betcha:
Yesterday [February 14], the 50 wedding guests who gathered for fast food on North Ocean Avenue ate 14 cheeseburger value meals, 13 Filet-o-Fish sandwiches, 17 Chicken McNugget meals and four hot fudge sundaes -- all washed down with 44 medium sodas. They topped the meal off with complimentary slices of chocolate Ronald McDonald cake. The grand total for the feast was just $250.59.
AHT sends hearty congratulations to the newlyweds and points out that their paper anniversary gifts next year should be a snap. Did somebody say McGiftCertificates?
McMakeover
Queer Eye for the Burger Guy? Ronald McDonald is being brought in for a transformation. Seems he's not hip enough for today's younger audience:
McDonald’s has launched a string of quirky television commercials that aim to transform family friendly mascot Ronald McDonald into a hip character that appeals to the coveted 20-something market....“They have spent more time trying to make it okay for you to go to McDonald’s with your friends because they ran into a branding problem where it wasn’t socially acceptable for older kids,” said Morningstar restaurant analyst Carl Sibilski.
Maybe introducing Ronnie to a girl would help loosen him up. Here's a babe who's perfect: Miss McDonald.
Burger by Location
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