Few menus anywhere in the food world are as iconic and well known as McDonald’s.
The fast-food titan’s Quarter Pounder with cheese (or “Royale with cheese” if you’re French) even got a featured line in the seminal Quentin Tarantino film “Pulp Fiction.”
That’s to say nothing of the other culturally iconic food items McDonald’s has offered over the years. So many people have heard of (if not personally consumed) the Big Mac, the Happy Meal, a Big Breakfast or the limited-time McRib.
And that doesn’t even begin to mention McDonald’s fries, which are largely considered to be the “gold” standard for what a fast-food french fry should taste like.
Well, it turns out that menu is headed for a shakeup — and the return of a very familiar face for fast-food eaters of a certain age.
In a press release Monday, McDonald’s announced that it would, effectively, be improving on its older burgers and such. The famous golden arches of McDonald’s can now boast its “hottest, juiciest, and tastiest burgers yet.”
The one downside to these new and improved burgers?
“They’re so delicious… they’ve drawn the Hamburglar back into a life of burger crime,” the release states.
For the unfamiliar, the Hamburglar was a part of the iconic McDonald’s mascots that were ubiquitous as recently as the 1990s. The entire cast of characters and their respective histories are so deep, there’s an entire fan Wiki page dedicated to the characters of the “McDonald’s-verse.”
Characters like Grimace (an unidentified purple… thing), Mayor McCheese (a duly elected official who happens to have a burger for a head), Birdie (an “early bird” meant to help promote McDonald’s breakfast menu), The McNugget Buddies (sentient chicken nuggets) and, of course, the iconic, red-haired clown himself, Ronald McDonald, populate a bizarre marketing world that McDonald’s has actually largely been phasing out in recent times.
Hamburglar was a part of this eclectic cast of characters and was typically presented as the mischief maker of the group. Typically seen dressed in cartoonish prison garb with a mask and cape, this strange fellow more than lived up to his name — he was a thief of burgers.
Despite largely being phased out, it appears that these new burgers are so much better that they will draw Hamburglar back into a life of crime.
“The burgers are so tempting… they’ve caught the attention of McDonaldland’s resident mischief-maker, the Hamburglar. Keep your eyes peeled for our very own red-handed fugitive (the OG hamburger influencer) who is back to his old burger-snatching tricks in our newest TV commercial,” the statement read. “When you spot his notorious cape and striped outfit in your city, you’ll know that’s when you can head to your local McDonald’s to get your hands on our best-ever burgers.”
So what exactly is changing that is making these burgers so much better?
“Our chefs have been cooking up small but tasty improvements to the Big Mac® sandwich, McDouble® burger and our classic Cheeseburger, Double Cheeseburger and Hamburger — and we can’t wait for fans across the U.S. to get a taste,” the release stated. “The magic is in the details.”
Those “magic” details that McDonald’s is boasting about?
- Improved buns (described as “softer” and “pillowy”).
- “Perfectly melted cheese.”
- McDonald’s will start adding onions to burger patties while they’re still on the grill (anyone who cooks can tell you this will, nominally, improve flavor).
- More Big Mac sauce!
The rollout of these improvements will take place over “this year” in America, after a successful launch in several international markets, such as Australia and Canada. The plan is to be fully rolled out across America by 2024.
Of course, some markets have already begun utilizing these improved burgers.
The release does note that if you’re a fast-food connoisseur in “Los Angeles, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Sacramento, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, Denver, Boise, Tucson, and surrounding cities” you can try these new burgers for yourself.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
