patrick.net

McD's even denies the first big shrink in 1975 (from 1972-1975 the BigMac was fully national in the USA)... which was due to marketing showing that people were afraid to order it because it looked TOO big.

Somebody discovered a frozen early 70s BigMac in the far reaches of a restaurant and took a pic:


The second big shrink seems to have happened about 2011.

I also remember Big Macs everywhere being slathered with 'special sauce'. So much so I stopped eating them for a long while in the late 90s and 2000s because it would all get in the circle beard I had back then.

It looks like the bottom is missing in the first post's second pic. You only see the club and some sauce-soaked lettuce.

Good. Less unhealthy.

Karloff says

It looks like the bottom is missing in the first post's second pic. You only see the club and some sauce-soaked lettuce.

It's there, you can see the meat patty over the heel (the bottom of the bun, the top being the crown)

B.A.C.A.H. says

Good. Less unhealthy.

Eh, I'm not so sure. We slammed down McDs and BKs plenty and gained no weight. Though a Big Mac would knock me out all day long. If I had one for lunch I'd probably not eat anything the rest of the day. Today I can eat a 25% smaller Big Mac and not feel half as satiated. The kids are enormous today, mostly because of the seed oils. Which is also disrupting their hormones.

Far too much bun in that preserved 1975 version. That'd be like eating a 1/4 loaf of bread.

Karloff says

Far too much bun in that preserved 1975 version. That'd be like eating a 1/4 loaf of bread.

They cut it down because people were afraid to order it.

The 1976-2000s version was 'just right' for a single burger.

If one ate only at McD's patties and vegetable items, skipped the fries, buns, and got a no/low calorie drink, you'd lose pounds like no tomorrow. Some guy actually did this for 2-3 weeks and lost 10lb and made a documentary on it as an answer to "Supersize me." Spurlock's movie hinted it was the beef making people fat when it was the seed oil soaked fries (to keep things uniform, appease Vegetarians/Vegans and Hindus).

That's why people say "The fries don't taste as good" - they're no longer cooked in grease but seed oil.

They definitely swapped out the 4:1 for the 10:1 patties though, that's beyond debate.

AmericanKulak says

If one ate only at McD's patties and vegetable items, skipped the fries, buns, and got a no/low calorie drink, you'd lose pounds like no tomorrow. Some guy actually did this for 2-3 weeks and lost 10lb and made a documentary on it as an answer to "Supersize me." Spurlock's movie hinted it was the beef making people fat when it was the seed oil soaked fries (to keep things uniform, appease Vegetarians/Vegans and Hindus).

I've stopped eating all fast food. Kind of still on topic, but I'd eat two egg McMuffins every morning. Skipped lunch and would eat dinner at home. I wouldn't call it weight loss, but is was the most consistent my weight was for about 5 years. No big shifts up or down.

I've never even had a Big Mac. Never was a fan of any fast food burgers. Always went the chicken route for lunch or dinner if I had fast food. I can't even imagine what prices are now anyway. I can make my own burgers exponentially cheaper than fast food. Better and fresher as well.

Director Morgan Spurlock, known for "Super Size Me," passed away at 53 after battling cancer. He died in New York surrounded by loved ones. Spurlock gained fame with his 2004 documentary, where he ate only McDonald's food for 30 days.

The Big Mac was never all that, or as big as the name suggested. I remember ordering the Mc DLT, a now defunct sandwich from the 80's, because the Big Mac was under whelming, and as stated above. That round wet spot of thousand island special sauce you would find in the center. The Mc DLT had a 5 or 6 inch bun, like the Whopper used to have. It was McD's knock off Whopper.
That said, today Big Macs are even smaller than what I was unimpressed about back then.

Ppl, if you want a 'special sauce', here it is ... 1.5 parts Mayo, 1 part Ketchup, 1/2 part Yellow Mustard, about 1/2 teaspoon of strained bottled *horseradish from your supermarket's deli section. Mix that up and you have it.

Order a simple McD cheeseburger, toss that mix on it, & you're finished. Personally, I'd rather get a takeout cheeseburger from my local diner (as it's juicy & has flavor/body) but that's just me.

*Note: Store the leftover horseradish in the fridge.

Tenpoundbass says

ordering the Mc DLT

Now, that was the perfected 1/4 Quarter Pounder w/ Cheese.

I think it was much bigger than the QP they serve now. It was the first sandwich to come in a Styrofoam container. Then it came in the small paper box. They were dry and bland, when served in the paper box, which shortly after led to their discontinuation.
Before that every burger joint served sandwiches wrapped in wax paper. Which is the best way to do it. Because it preserves the moisture content in the sandwich, so the bread don't dry out and get stale and the burger gets dry in paper boxes.

Rin says

Personally, I'd rather get a takeout cheeseburger from my local diner (as it's juicy & has flavor/body) but that's just me.

If I go out to eat, that's what I'd do. No fast food or chains. I love grilling though so I just make my own burgers. I don't like eating shitty meat with what seems like no seasoning. I'm not heavy on condiments on a burger. Cheese of some sort, but I liken it to a steak. I don't need special sauces. Maybe toss some onions or jalapeños on there. I'm a basic bitch.

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https://www.wsj.com/business/earnings/mcdonalds-mcd-q4-earnings-report-2024-84dafb01

McDonald’s MCD 3.90%increase; green up pointing triangle U.S. store sales and earnings fell as the burger chain dealt with the fallout of an E. coli outbreak hitting its domestic business last year.

The company said its U.S. same-store sales declined 1.4% in the three months ended Dec. 31, driven in part by customers spending less money per visit. A slowdown in the pace of price increases across restaurants also contributed.

The chain’s fourth-quarter revenue and adjusted earnings per share trailed analysts’ expectations. Some investors had feared steeper declines, and were upbeat about the company’s recovery in many international markets.

McDonald’s said it expects to open 2,200 restaurants globally this year, up slightly from the total it projected last year. Around 600 of those locations would be in the U.S.

* Shares of the company rose 4.5% in morning trading. *

Restaurants so far have reported mixed business results for the last three months of 2024. Chipotle Mexican Grill, Yum Brands’ Taco Bell and Chili’s owner Brinker International said their restaurants brought in more customers last quarter, while Starbucks, Pizza Hut and KFC marked declines in their domestic markets.

McDonald’s said consumers remain pressured, particularly low-income diners and families. U.S. sales were sluggish in January, reflecting a broader slump in the industry, McDonald’s said.

“The industry is still seeing a fair bit of headwind,” Chief Financial Officer Ian Borden said.

McDonald's stock had started to take off around 2004, which coincides with the onslaught of free trade impact on the USA.

McDonald's economy followed the free trade agreements of the 1990s, as the stock in 2003 was priced the same as in 1995

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McDonald's earnings per share (EPS) has been growing exponential since around 2004

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Thankfully, we have In and Out Burger in CA.

RFK Jr. approves. 👍🏿