Few people remember that Burger King actually beat McDonald’s (MCD) to the punch when it came to having a signature sandwich. Before the Whopper hit the now number three fast-food burger chain in 1957, both Burger King and McDonald’s had very simple menus built around execution.
Back in the early days, neither chain tried to come up with bold limited-time offers or even new permanent menu items. Both Burger King and McDonald’s wanted to deliver a consistent experience around a hamburger (or cheeseburger), french fries, and a soda.
That changed when Burger King (which is now owned by Restaurant Brands International (QSR) ) had fallen behind its rival, which opened its first location in 1955, and introduced the Whopper. You would think the success of that sandwich would have led to McDonald’s answering with its own premium burger, but the Big Mac did not actually arrive until 1967, a full decade later.
But, once it finally did arrive, the Big Mac became an unqualified hit. The chain has been wary of diluting its success by offering variants in the way Burger King has with the Whopper. Now, however, McDonald’s has a new Big Mac, and it’s arguably bigger than any sandwich the chain has ever offered.
Expanding the Big Mac Line
McDonald’s has experimented globally with the Big Mac brand, but in the U.S. it has generally kept its experimentation to playing with sizes. The Mac Junior was roughly a Whopper while the Grand Mac was a Big Mac that used bigger burger patties.
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All three however were simply variants on the classic recipe of “two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, on a sesame seed bun,” that made the Big Mac the mack daddy of fast-food sandwiches.
While Burger King has rolled out dozens of sandwich both in the U.S. and all around the world leveraging the Whopper brand, McDonald’s has been protective of its signature sandwich. And, while we’re not getting the Ghost Mac, the Indy Mac, the Angry Mac, the California Mac, the Halloween Mac, the Macerito, the Upside Down Mac, the Angriest Mac, or even the Impossible Mac, McDonald’s does (finally) have new take on its beloved classic for U.S. audiences.
McDonald’s Finally Brings the Chicken Mac to the U.S.
A Chicken Mac has seemed logical pretty much since chicken joined the McDonald’s menu, but there was (and is) some question as to whether the sandwich would use fried chicken patties, grilled chicken patties, or maybe even come in both varieties (or even a one of each). Well, that level of choice has not been offered, but the Chicken Mac, which has been a hit in the United Kingdom, has finally found its way to the U.S.
The chain will test the Chicken Big Mac at select locations in the Miami area by the end of August 2022, Chew Boom reported.
“The Chicken Big Mac basically takes a Big Mac and replaces the beef patties with chicken patties,” the website reported.
McDonald’s has said that it expects to bring the Chicken Big Mac to the entire U.S. if the test goes well. The fast-food chain did recently conclude a test of its McPlant in the U.S. — after it had been a hit in the U.K. — and opted to not roll it out nationwide.
