I’d have waited until tomorrow to post this, but I felt it was too big a story to relegate to a few lines among the usual helter-skelter madness of a typical Fast Food Week headline rundown. The news? McDonald’s is rolling out new additions to its Big Mac menu…
The new Big Mac Family: Adds a single-Patty Little Mac and a 4-Patty Double.
Not since 2016, when it added a single-Patty Mac Jr. and a three-Patty Grand Mac for a limited time, has McD’s tinkered with its Big Mac line. Now, the Burger Behemoth is giving fans something similar again – for a limited time.
What you get
Once again, McD’s is adding a single-patty version of the Mac on a regular (two-piece) Bun. That’s what they’re calling the Little Mac. On the outsize scene, they’ve added extra patties to the regular Big Mac – one in each layer (above and below the centre Bun), to create a mountainous mouthful they’re calling, appropriately, the Double Mac.
The details…
The new Mac offerings are dressed exactly the same as the familiar, standard Big Mac, with Special Sauce, Lettuce, Cheese, Pickles and Onions on a Sesame Seed Bun. Nothing spectacular, unexpected or truly special there, but who really wants them to change the famous Big Mac formula?
You may recall the quirky but interesting Big Mac Egg Hack that made news among the fans after McD’s extended its breakfast menu to all-day service. You can still order a round Egg or a Folded Egg on the side to enhance your Big Mac as a late breakfast main. Given that you could order an Egg to add, and it’s been proven you can order extra Patties… Why not just make your own Double Mac? It would cost you significantly more to order two more Patties as a side.
Just the facts
The Double Mac boasts a surprisingly modest Calorie count – just 680 per Burger. But that breaks down into some pretty alarming figures: You get 58 g of total Fat (58 percent of your recommended daily allowance), of which 16 g is Saturated Fat (80 percent of your daily allowance). There’s 120 mg of Cholesterol (40 percent op your daily allowance), and 1,310 mg of Sodium (55 percent of your daily allowance). On the up side, you get 300 mg of Calcium and 500 mg of Vitamin A.
Add a Large order of Fries, and the total soars to: 1,240 Calories; 85 g of Total Fat including 19.5 g Saturated Fat; and 1,730 mg of Sodium. That meal would account for almost your full daily dietary allowance of all the bad stuff while providing more than half the full day’s Calorie allotment (nominally 2,000 Calories for for adults).
Obligatory social comment:
For a Fast Food company that says it’s trying to segue to healthier fare, the addition of the Double Mac to its lineup – even for a limited time – makes that commitment ring hollow. Sure, McD’s is offering some healthier menu items like Wraps and Salads. But the overwhelming bulk of their sales continues to be comprised of their core bill of fare: Burgers, Fries and Soft Drinks. Has the McDonald’s Brain Trust thought about how to make those menu items healthier?
Unless you’re a hard-playing athlete or a construction worker in top physical condition, burning two or three times the normal number of Calories each day, I’d stay away from the Double Mac – if you value your health.
Nevertheless…
It’s out there until further notice. If you so desire, now’s the time to gorge yourself…
~ Maggie J.