Ingredients

We already know that people don't like waiting for their food to be prepared.

In fact, some people hate waiting for their food so much that they would get the police involved over a box of late chicken nuggets. 

When you decide to eat at McDonald's, you don't exactly do it for the freshness of the food, but rather for the speed and convenience of the service.

But wouldn't it be great if you could have both? 

In 2016, McDonald's announced that it was going to start testing fresh (i.e., not frozen) beef patties for its hamburgers, according to Delish. 

This experiment has been happening with McDonald's Quarter Pounders at locations in Texas and Oklahoma, where the patties for these burgers are now cooked fresh rather than frozen. 

What's the big difference, you ask? Freshly cooked burgers are usually more flavorful and juicy, since freezing meat can cause tears in the meat cells, which leads to the loss of flavorful juices, according to Rockit Burger Bar. 

McDonald's goal with these experiments is to eventually offer fresh beef burgers in most of its restaurants by 2018, according to Consumerist. 

Fresher food, juicier burgers … You'd think customers would be happy about this, right?

Well, you’d be wrong. In fact, some customers are downright mad about it. 

Tracy Moore, like many other customers who order the Quarter Pounder, was asked to pull into a parking space to wait for her burger, according to Reuters.

After four minutes of waiting, she was not happy. Not at all.

"If it's going to be that long every time, I won't order it. I'd go elsewhere," said Moore, Reuters reports.

McDonald’s experiment with cooked-to-order burgers is a result of its need to keep up with the food quality of its competitors. Burger chains like In-N-Out, Wendy’s and Whataburger all grill fresh burgers.

People like Moore, who are speed-minded, frequent drive-thru customers, make up a whopping 70 percent of McDonald’s U.S. revenue, according to Reuters.

With its new emphasis on freshness, McDonald’s may lose customers due to a loss in the speed sector.

The freshly cooked Quarter Pounder takes about a minute longer than the regular version. This is because grilling of the patty only begins after a customer orders, while frozen patties take longer to cook but are usually already on the grill.

While an extra minute doesn’t seem like a big deal, imagine if everyone at the drive-thru was ordering one.

Still, some customers may be excited about biting into a Quarter Pounder that is hotter and juicier than the regular version.

“We received overwhelmingly positive feedback from customers and employees and we’re proud to have been part of a test that is creating a watershed moment for McDonald’s,” said a Dallas-area McDonald’s franchisee in a statement released by McDonald’s, according to Consumerist.

 I'd be willing to wait a few extra minutes for a yummier burger. Would you?

Instructions

Print This Recipe

We already know that people don't like waiting for their food to be prepared.

In fact, some people hate waiting for their food so much that they would get the police involved over a box of late chicken nuggets. 

When you decide to eat at McDonald's, you don't exactly do it for the freshness of the food, but rather for the speed and convenience of the service.

But wouldn't it be great if you could have both? 

In 2016, McDonald's announced that it was going to start testing fresh (i.e., not frozen) beef patties for its hamburgers, according to Delish. 

This experiment has been happening with McDonald's Quarter Pounders at locations in Texas and Oklahoma, where the patties for these burgers are now cooked fresh rather than frozen. 

What's the big difference, you ask? Freshly cooked burgers are usually more flavorful and juicy, since freezing meat can cause tears in the meat cells, which leads to the loss of flavorful juices, according to Rockit Burger Bar. 

McDonald's goal with these experiments is to eventually offer fresh beef burgers in most of its restaurants by 2018, according to Consumerist. 

Fresher food, juicier burgers … You'd think customers would be happy about this, right?

Well, you’d be wrong. In fact, some customers are downright mad about it. 

Tracy Moore, like many other customers who order the Quarter Pounder, was asked to pull into a parking space to wait for her burger, according to Reuters.

After four minutes of waiting, she was not happy. Not at all.

"If it's going to be that long every time, I won't order it. I'd go elsewhere," said Moore, Reuters reports.

McDonald’s experiment with cooked-to-order burgers is a result of its need to keep up with the food quality of its competitors. Burger chains like In-N-Out, Wendy’s and Whataburger all grill fresh burgers.

People like Moore, who are speed-minded, frequent drive-thru customers, make up a whopping 70 percent of McDonald’s U.S. revenue, according to Reuters.

With its new emphasis on freshness, McDonald’s may lose customers due to a loss in the speed sector.

The freshly cooked Quarter Pounder takes about a minute longer than the regular version. This is because grilling of the patty only begins after a customer orders, while frozen patties take longer to cook but are usually already on the grill.

While an extra minute doesn’t seem like a big deal, imagine if everyone at the drive-thru was ordering one.

Still, some customers may be excited about biting into a Quarter Pounder that is hotter and juicier than the regular version.

“We received overwhelmingly positive feedback from customers and employees and we’re proud to have been part of a test that is creating a watershed moment for McDonald’s,” said a Dallas-area McDonald’s franchisee in a statement released by McDonald’s, according to Consumerist.

 I'd be willing to wait a few extra minutes for a yummier burger. Would you?

McDonald's Fresh Beef Is Problematic For Some

We already know that people don't like waiting for their food to be prepared.

In fact, some people hate waiting for their food so much that they would get the police involved over a box of late chicken nuggets. 

When you decide to eat at McDonald's, you don't exactly do it for the freshness of the food, but rather for the speed and convenience of the service.

But wouldn't it be great if you could have both? 

In 2016, McDonald's announced that it was going to start testing fresh (i.e., not frozen) beef patties for its hamburgers, according to Delish. 

This experiment has been happening with McDonald's Quarter Pounders at locations in Texas and Oklahoma, where the patties for these burgers are now cooked fresh rather than frozen. 

What's the big difference, you ask? Freshly cooked burgers are usually more flavorful and juicy, since freezing meat can cause tears in the meat cells, which leads to the loss of flavorful juices, according to Rockit Burger Bar. 

McDonald's goal with these experiments is to eventually offer fresh beef burgers in most of its restaurants by 2018, according to Consumerist. 

Fresher food, juicier burgers … You'd think customers would be happy about this, right?

Well, you’d be wrong. In fact, some customers are downright mad about it. 

Tracy Moore, like many other customers who order the Quarter Pounder, was asked to pull into a parking space to wait for her burger, according to Reuters.

After four minutes of waiting, she was not happy. Not at all.

"If it's going to be that long every time, I won't order it. I'd go elsewhere," said Moore, Reuters reports.

McDonald’s experiment with cooked-to-order burgers is a result of its need to keep up with the food quality of its competitors. Burger chains like In-N-Out, Wendy’s and Whataburger all grill fresh burgers.

People like Moore, who are speed-minded, frequent drive-thru customers, make up a whopping 70 percent of McDonald’s U.S. revenue, according to Reuters.

With its new emphasis on freshness, McDonald’s may lose customers due to a loss in the speed sector.

The freshly cooked Quarter Pounder takes about a minute longer than the regular version. This is because grilling of the patty only begins after a customer orders, while frozen patties take longer to cook but are usually already on the grill.

While an extra minute doesn’t seem like a big deal, imagine if everyone at the drive-thru was ordering one.

Still, some customers may be excited about biting into a Quarter Pounder that is hotter and juicier than the regular version.

“We received overwhelmingly positive feedback from customers and employees and we’re proud to have been part of a test that is creating a watershed moment for McDonald’s,” said a Dallas-area McDonald’s franchisee in a statement released by McDonald’s, according to Consumerist.

 I'd be willing to wait a few extra minutes for a yummier burger. Would you?