McDonald's Is Changing Its Burgers

McDonald's announced plans for major changes to its hamburger recipes next year, which is enough to bring the Hamburglar back out of retirement. No burger on the menu will be unaffected by the change, including the Big Mac and McDouble. The changes are rolling out throughout 2023 and into 2024.

The Big Mac, McDouble, Double Cheeseburger, and the classic Cheeseburger and Hamburger will now feature "softer, pillowy" toasted buns, the fast food chain announced in April 2023. There will be "perfectly melted cheese" on Cheeseburgers and a "juicer, caramelized flavor" thanks to white onions added to each patty while they are still on the grill. Sandwiches will include even more Big Mac sauce, "bringing more tangy sweetness in every Big Mac bite."

The new versions of these classic sandwiches have already found success in Australia, Canada, Belgium, and other international markets. They will make their U.S. debut this year, with some customers in Los Angeles, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Sacramento, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, Denver, Boise, and Tucson already getting a taste of the new burgers. Fans across the country will get to experience the difference everywhere by 2024.

"I'll always remember my first burger from McDonald's. And now my culinary team and I have the best job in the world: thinking about ways to bring even more of that iconic McDonald's taste to fans," Chef Chad Schafer, the Senior Director of Culinary Innovation at McDonald's USA, said in a statement. "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."

McDonald's plans to unleash the Hamburglar for the promotional campaign tied to the new burgers, and will appear in the new TV commercials. The Hamburglar will be "on the loose" in select cities, McDonald's said. Succession star Brian Cox served as the narrator for the new commercials.

McDonald's isn't seeing a slump in sales, so the decision to upgrade their most popular menu item could be more about ensuring they can stay in a better position against fast-casual spots like Shake Shake and Five Guys in the long run. They can also see other fast food chains like Wendy's making up ground behind them. McDonald's "is No. 1 and they want to stay No. 1," fast-food analyst Mark Kalinowski told MarketWatch.