The rumors have been churning since the beginning of June and now we know they’re true: McDonald’s is introducing a new Cheesy Jalapeño Bacon Quarter Pounder. The product, now featured on the restaurant company’s Menu Spotter home page, includes two slices of American cheese, Applewood Smoked Bacon, pickled jalapeño slices, and a creamy cheddar cheese sauce.
They’re available starting July 10 for a limited time at participating McDonald’s locations nationwide.
The offering comes as McDonald’s makes some tweaks to its entire burger line, including new, softer buns, “meltier cheese,” and a new cooking process adding white onions on the grill. The changes are expected to be rolled out nationwide by 2024. They come as the chain sharpens its focus on its core menu items, which has driven significant and consistent same-store sales increases in recent quarters.
McDonald’s last made changes to its burgers in 2018, when it transitioned its Quarter Pounder with Cheese to fresh beef that is cooked to order. That same year, the company also removed artificial flavors, colors and preservatives from its entire burger lineup. A year later, a McDonald’s executive told USA Today that the changes led to a 30% jump in Quarter Pounder sales.
McDonald’s Quarter Pounder was invented in 1971 by a franchisee and has since become one of the chain’s most successful products. The jalapeño version isn’t the first iteration of the signature burger; the chain has also featured the Double Quarter Pounder, the Maple BBQ and Bacon Quarter Pounder, and the Quarter Pounder BLT. McDonald’s has also tested varieties like the Habanero Ranch QPC and the Deluxe QPC.
With this latest version, McDonald’s is meeting increased consumer demand for spicier food, driven by younger consumers who have been more exposed to global flavors. Jalapeños have benefitted from this demand, and over 41% of restaurants now offer the item on their menus, according to Tastewise data.
Notably, McDonald’s also recently launched a new, limited-edition purple shake in celebration of Grimace’s birthday. The Grimace Birthday Shake features McDonald’s signature vanilla soft serve and berry flavor.
Both products reflect a new Rabobank study finding that food companies are moving away from disruptive innovation in favor of incremental innovation, such as revamping existing products with minor product adjustments. In the study, Rabobank Senior Consumer Foods Analyst Tom Bailey points to McDonald’s recent efforts as an example and states, “Incremental innovation is considered safer and does not have to be headline-grabbing … It offers more immediate benefits: supply chain simplicity, sustainability, cost reduction and generally keeping customers happy and interested. Furthermore, incremental innovation is better suited to keeping prices low for consumers in an inflationary environment like the one we have today.”
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