McDonald’s Biggest Burger Ever Is Finally Here — But There’s a Catch

McDonald’s is having a bit of a rough go.

In the second quarter of this year, the company announced that its global sales fell for the first time in nearly four years due to inflation-weary consumers growing tired of rising burger prices. Chris Kempczinski, the CEO of McDonald’s, told investors on a recent call that this dip is forcing a “comprehensive rethink” of pricing and its value strategy. And that apparently includes offering bigger burgers too. 

On Monday, Kempczinski shared details on the brand’s plan to add the “Big Arch” burger to its rotation, which he says will include two patties, melted cheese, “crispy toppings,” and a “tangy McDonald’s sauce,” Restaurant Business reported. “It’s a quintessential McDonald’s burger with a twist on our iconic, familiar flavors,” he added. 

Currently, Kempczinki said, the burger is being tested in three international markets (including Canada and Portugal), with the plan being to see how the rollout goes in these destinations over the next several months before deciding if it wants to roll it out into more markets, including the U.S.

And this test will be a little different, because rather than differentiate the burger for each market (which is pretty standard practice for the fast food chain), this burger will have global appeal — if it makes it out of testing. 

“In the past, you would have seen us try and get after that opportunity in 20 different markets in 20 different ways,” Ian Borden told reporters earlier this year. “And then you don’t have the ability to build a global equity that you can drive at scale.”

As the McDonald’s website in Portugal explains (where this reporter happens to be located), the burger specifically includes two patties, three slices of white cheddar cheese, pickles, lettuce, fried and fresh onions, and a new “divine” sauce, with the slices of cheese layered in between the patties, the fried onions at the base and the fresh at the top, along with the smothering of sauce on the top bun. The website additionally calls the burger “Um verdadeiro Épico Mac,” or “a true epic Mac.” 

Beyond the bigger burger, McDonald’s fans can expect more deals in the future, including the extension of the $5 Value Meal, as McDonald’s continues to recalibrate.

“Consumers still recognize us as the value leader versus our key competitors, it’s clear that our value leadership gap has recently shrunk,” Kempczinski added on the investor call. “We are working to fix that with pace.”