McDonald’s has introduced a new oversized burger to its menu, unveiling the Big Arch as the chain’s latest entry in the long-running lineup of signature sandwiches.
The burger debuted on March 3 as what the company says is a limited-time offering and has quickly generated online attention because of its size and a widely shared video featuring McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski sampling the sandwich.
The Big Arch is built around two quarter-pound beef patties topped with three slices of melted white cheddar cheese and a new condiment called Big Arch sauce. The sandwich totals 1,020 calories, roughly half of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s recommended daily intake of 2,000 calories.
The new item also carries 1,760 milligrams of sodium, about 76% of the American Heart Association’s recommended daily maximum of 2,300 milligrams.
The burger’s size and nutritional numbers place it among the largest and most indulgent sandwiches currently offered by the fast-food chain, exceeding many of the company’s traditional burgers in calories, carbohydrates, cholesterol, and saturated fat.
Public interest in the Big Arch intensified after Kempczinski posted a video appearing to show him tasting the burger for the first time. The clip spread quickly on social media, where viewers questioned his reaction and created parody videos mimicking his review.
Some of those posts have attracted hundreds of thousands of views and likes, adding to the attention surrounding the sandwich’s release.
Despite the online teasing, the viral moment has also fueled curiosity about the new burger and boosted discussion about whether it could become a permanent addition to McDonald’s menu.
Prices for the Big Arch vary depending on location. For example, a restaurant in Falls Church, Virginia, listed the burger among its premium menu items, though pricing can differ widely from market to market.
The United States launch follows earlier testing of the sandwich in several international markets. McDonald’s introduced the Big Arch roughly 18 months ago in Canada, Germany, Portugal, France, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
The burger proved popular enough in the United Kingdom that it has already been added permanently to menus there.
Whether the sandwich remains available in the United States will likely depend on how it performs with customers during the limited run.
The company has frequently used limited-time releases to gauge consumer demand before deciding whether to expand menu offerings nationwide.
Source: Reuters