Product testing in restaurants revealed overwhelming support.

March 30, 2017

2 Min Read
McDonald's USA changing to fresh beef Quarter Pounders
McDonald's

McDonald's USA announced today that by mid-2018, it will serve fresh beef, prepared when ordered, in all Quarter Pounder burgers across the majority of its U.S. restaurants.

The fresh beef burgers, cooked right after they're ordered, are the latest step the company has made to try to meet customers' changing expectations and to compete with similar restaurants like Wendy's that already use fresh beef. McDonald's currently serves 100% beef burgers with absolutely no fillers, additives or preservatives.

"Over the past two years, we've made a series of bold, tangible changes for our customers," McDonald's president and chief executive officer Steve Easterbrook said. "Serving All-Day Breakfast, moving to cage-free eggs and testing delivery are all proof of our commitment to building a better McDonald's, and we are committed to transforming more aspects of our business, including offering a more modern and enjoyable dining experience, adding new levels of convenience and technology and making more positive changes to the food we serve."

Delivering fresh beef in its Quarter Pounder burgers is one of the company's latest customer-led initiatives that builds on several other changes, including:

  • In 2015, the company announced a number of changes to how it serves and sources food by offering All-Day Breakfast, committing to sourcing only cage-free eggs by 2025 and serving only chicken from animals that were not treated with antibiotics important to human medicine -- a move that was completed nearly a year ahead of schedule in 2016.

  • Last year, the company removed artificial preservatives from several menu items, including Chicken McNuggets, and eliminated high-fructose corn syrup from the buns used on Big Macs, Quarter Pounders, hamburgers, cheeseburgers, Filet-O-Fish and McChicken sandwiches.

"Today's announcement is part of a continuing food journey for McDonald's," McDonald's USA president Chris Kempczinski said. "Over the last two years, we have accelerated the pace of change around how we source and serve our food. Delivering fresh beef that's prepared when our customers order their food is just another example of how we are raising the bar. We're just getting started, and can't wait to show you what's next."

Quarter Pounder burgers using fresh beef were initially tested in 325 restaurants across the Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas, area and 77 restaurants in Tulsa, Okla. These burgers include the Quarter Pounder, Quarter Pounder with Cheese, Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese, Quarter Pounder with Cheese Deluxe and Signature Crafted Recipe burgers.

"We received overwhelmingly positive feedback from customers and employees, and we're proud to have been part of a test that is creating a watershed moment for McDonald's," McDonald's Dallas/Ft. Worth franchisee Joe Jasper said. "This test was driven by the franchisees, our region and insights from what our customers are asking for when they visit McDonald's."

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