McDonald's Is Making Its Burgers Bigger—and Better

Part of the appeal of heading to a fast food chain is that you know exactly what to expect every time you visit. Sure, from time to time there many be small menu changes, additions, and limited-time returns of old favorites, but the core menu stays the same. 

When we initially heard McDonald’s was making a change to its burgers, we were a little nervous—until we learned that the change was simply to make the burgers more sizeable.

How McDonald’s Burgers Are Changing

This spring, McDonald’s began a campaign to improve the chain’s iconic burgers. The chain promised changes, including softer, toasted buns, meltier cheese for its cheeseburgers, and lightly caramelized onions. The grill settings will be adjusted to ensure burgers get a better sear. 

Those adjustments are underway in certain parts of the country, such as the West Coast, and will go nationwide in 2024.

In an interview with CCN, the CEO of McDonald’s, Chris Kempczinski, indicated that the chain is adding size to that list of improvements. Kemczinski states, “In the US, in a number of markets, around the world, having a larger burger is an opportunity…That is something that you should expect in the future.” Another McDonald’s executive, Jo Sempels, said, “We’ve listened to our customers. And we understand their desire for larger, high-quality burgers that fill you up.”

And if you’re concerned that the bigger burger might mean a larger price tag accompanying it, Kempczinski addressed concerns by saying, “We think we’re going to be able to deliver a great tasting large burger at a superior value to what [customers] can get anywhere else.”

McDonald’s isn’t just expanding the size of its burgers. It recently launched a brand new spinoff restaurant concept, and the chain is also planning to expand its footprint by adding nearly 10,000 McDonald’s locations globally by 2027. Currently, the number sits around 41,000 locations.