McDonald’s Wants to Woo You With Two New Big Macs

Like most 50-year-olds, the Big Mac is starting to show its age: That toasted sesame seed bun and secret sauce can’t hide the fact that Mickey D’s still uses frozen patties. Today’s fast-food consumers trend toward better burgers with fresher beef and a wider variety of toppings. Last year an internal company memo revealed that only 20 percent of millennials had even tried a Big Mac. McDonald’s decided it was time for a makeover.

On Jan. 18 the company unveiled two new-look Big Macs, the limited-edition Mac Jr. and Grand Mac, to accompany the original. All three versions hold to the traditional frozen patties and classic sauce. The difference is size: The Mac Jr. lacks its middle bun(!), has only one patty, and has fewer calories (460) than a turkey sandwich from Panera Bread; the Grand Mac, an 860-calorie monstrosity about 1 ½ times as big as the 540-calorie original, will likely serve as a novelty item, ordered by the incredibly hungry or the unashamed.