McDonald's Offering Colossal 'Australian' Big Mac for Limited Time
Starting Jan. 24, McDonald’s will be offering a Super Sized Double Big Mac at participating restaurants nationwide for a limited time.
The colossal burger has already been available in other countries around the world, notably Australia and New Zealand, which have somehow managed to out-America America. Similar to a standard Big Mac, the sandwich features not two but four beef patties, extra sauce and pickles, shredded lettuce, chopped onions, and a slice of American cheese on a sesame seed bun.
According to McDonald's Canada, which also serves the Double Big Mac, it has a whopping 740 calories compared to the 590 calories found in a regular Big Mac.
This actually isn't the first time the Double Big Mac has been introduced in the states. McDonald's initially rolled out the burger in March 2020, just before the Covid pandemic closed restaurants doors across the country. As a result, like many chains, McDonald's was forced to scale back menu items and the Double Big Mac became a casualty along with the Little Mac, which featured just one beef patty.
It's unclear whether McDonald's likewise has plans to bring back the Little Mac.
McDonald’s brings the Double Big Mac back to the U.S. McDonald’s Double Big Mac was first introduced in early March 2020 and includes four beef patties and additional sauce. https://t.co/JA9deBiBGi pic.twitter.com/LPvVEt0dc0
— Restaurant News (@NRNonline) January 10, 2024
At any rate, the reemergence of the Double Big Mac certainly suggests that the company is on track to deliver bigger burgers, as promised during an investor's event last month, in an effort to compete with higher-end, fast-casual burger chains such as Shake Shack and Five Guys.
"We’ve identified an unmet customer need with a significant opportunity to drive future growth in beef and that is the large beef burger customer—a desire for larger, high quality burgers that fill you up and are delivered in a convenient and affordable way," said Jo Sempels, president of McDonald’s brand-licensed markets, according to Nation's Restaurant News.
In addition to bigger burgers, the company also has plans to make changes to the standard Big Mac, in an effort to make it juicer and overall more palatable. In addition to cooking patties in smaller batches to ensure maximum flavor and a uniform sear, cheese will be "meltier" and the sandwich will get an upgrade to a buttery brioche bun with fewer sesame seeds more randomly dispersed to give the appearance of a "homemade" burger.