Big N' Tasty
The Big N’ Tasty is a hamburger sold by the international fast food chain McDonald's (except for Australia). It is designed to compete with the Burger King Whopper sandwich.[1] A similar variation called the Big Tasty, without the center N, is sold outside the USA in parts of Europe, South America and the Middle East.
Product description
The Big N' Tasty consists of a seasoned quarter-pound (4 oz, 113.4 g) beef patty with ketchup, mayonnaise, slivered onions, two dill pickle slices, leaf lettuce, and one tomato slice on a sesame seed bun. It was not unusual for someone to add mustard to the Big N' Tasty.
The Big Tasty configuration is somewhat different, consisting of a third-pound (150 g) beef patty, 5-inch sesame seed bun, square-cut lettuce, two tomato slices, sliced onions, three slices of Emmental cheese, and Big Tasty sauce (which has a smoke flavour).
The Big Tasty Bacon variant also contains strips of bacon. This variant is not sold in the USA, only internationally.
Variants
- Regional variants
- McOz - Beetroot, lettuce, tomato, onion, Cheddar cheese, ketchup and mustard.
Was available in Australia, now discontinued and replaced with McFeast Deluxe which omitted the beetroot and added mayonnaise and pickles. The McFeast Deluxe has now also been discontinued. The McOz was reintroduced on the 28th December 2011.[2]
- The Boss - two quarter pound (4 oz, 113.4 g; total beef mass of 0.5 lb, 8 oz, 227 g) and a slice of cheese, mayonnaise, ketchup, lettuce, tomato, and onion. Available in New Zealand.
- Big Tasty - As above, but without the pickles in Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Italy, Malta, the Middle East, Mexico, The Netherlands (until the introduction of the Big Tasty Bacon in 2006), Norway, Czech Republic, Pakistan, Panama, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa (from 2011), Sweden, Switzerland, Venezuela, Ukraine and the United Kingdom. Uruguay adds 1/3oz. of sliced onions to the original recipe. Limited availability in Poland, Ireland and Luxembourg (until the introduction of the Big Tasty Bacon).
- In South Korea, presumably to cater to locals' preference of what they consider to be spicy food, the Big Tasty ("빅테이스티 버거") contains a hot "chili salsa sauce" (칠리 살사 소스).
- In Malaysia, the Big N' Tasty has a 1/4 pound beef patty, fresh lettuce, pickles, chopped onion, two slices of tomato, a slice of cheese with special sauce and ketchup on a sesame bun [3]
- Big Tasty Bacon - three strips of bacon are added.
Available in The Netherlands, Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Germany, Switzerland, Malta, Austria, Denmark, Sweden and in the United Kingdom. Limited availability in Poland, Croatia, Serbia and Russia (Winter)
- Chicken Tasty - Made with a chicken fillet, without the smoke-flavored sauce. Available in Sweden.
- In Spain, the sandwich is called a McRoyal Deluxe or McRoyal Bacon Deluxe if served with bacon.
- In UK the 'Big Cheese' (2007 promotion) featured the bun, patty and cheese from the Big Tasty, removing all other ingredients, but augmented with a new cheesy sauce. The product was removed after the promotion ended.
- Discontinued and preceding variants
- Big Xtra - The Big Xtra included the same ingredients as the Big N' Tasty, but the beef patty was seasoned with a spice and salt mixture unique to this burger. The patty was also larger, weighing three-eighths of a pound (6 oz, 170 g). It was quite popular in German McDonald's restaurants. It is still sold in Canadian Walmart McDonald's locations only.
- McDLT - The McDLT (McDonald's Lettuce and Tomato) was served with mayonnaise, ketchup, pickles, sliced onions, lettuce, cheese, and two tomato slices.
History
The Big N' Tasty is the latest in a series of burgers that were designed to compete against the Whopper from Burger King.[1] The first sandwich in this line of products was the McDLT. It was sold in a novel form of packaging where the meat and bottom bun was prepared separately from the lettuce, tomato, cheese, pickles, sauces, and top bun and both were then packaged into a specially designed two-sided container.[4] The consumer was then expected to finalize preparation of it by combining the hot and cool sides just before eating. The company discontinued it between December 1990 and January 1991 to appear more environmentally friendly as it moved away from polystyrene packaging which was integral to the McDLT "experience".[5]
The McDLT was eventually succeeded by the McLean Deluxe in 1991. This was a lower fat burger that included carrageenan to replace the beef fat in the patty, and was served without mayonnaise.[6] While it tested well, it failed to catch on after the national roll-out and was discontinued in February 1996 in favor of the new Arch Deluxe,[6] an adult oriented burger that featured a higher quality roll and a dijon mustard based mayonnaise. It was also unsuccessful and was discontinued in 1998.[7]
The Big N' Tasty was introduced in 1997 and was originally tested in the California market, while the Big Xtra was test marketed in the Northeastern United States as the MBX;[8][9][10] during the simultaneous testing phase, either one could be sold depending upon the test market.[11] The Big N' Tasty was phased in nationally in 2000, displacing the Big Xtra in the United States. McDonalds removed the Big N' Tasty from its menu in America on January 1, 2011.[12]
Advertising
- The McDLT's marketing focused on variations of the theme "Keep the hot side hot, and the cool side cool." in a 1985 commercial released to market featuring Jason Alexander.[13]
- The 2001 national introduction of it featured a campaign that starred NBA player Kobe Bryant.
- Due to its bigger patty, the Big Xtra was advertised as being larger than a Whopper.
- There also was a 1985 commercial featuring Former NFL Defensive Lineman and Chicago Bears Legend William Perry along with teammates from their 85 Super Bowl XX Triumph.
International
The Big Tasty was first test marketed under a different name in a limited number of McDonald's restaurants in Sweden during the summer of 2003, followed by a national release during the autumn with the current name. In the UK, it launched in December 2003 with the advertising slogan "Sorry Yanks, this one's for us". It was phased out of all restaurants in August 2005 as part of the menu clear up that made way for the launch of the Deli Sandwiches. It was reintroduced to the UK menu as part of the limited time offer program in the Autumn of 2006. It was again introduced to the menu in the summers of 2007, 2008, and continues to do so as a promotional item, generally during winter and summer when other food events (such as the World Cup or the company's popular Monopoly promotion) are not running. It was last seen on the British menu in 2011, where it was replaced by the BCO - Bacon, Chicken and Onion burger. It was recently removed in Denmark and in the Netherlands for unknown reasons. It is still available at all McDonald's restaurants in Greece and the majority of the restaurants in Sweden.
See also
References
- ^ a b AP Newswire (1997-07-02). "McDonald's hoping new burger a Whopper stopper". The Augusta Chronicle. Archived from the original on 2007-10-30. http://web.archive.org/web/20071030042615/http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/070297/fea_whopper.html. Retrieved 2007-10-23.
- ^ [1]
- ^ [2]
- ^ US 4653685
- ^ John Holusha (1990-11-02). "Packaging and Public Image: McDonald's Fills a Big Order". the New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE5D9173AF931A35752C1A966958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all. Retrieved 2008-05-29. "...the fast-food chain changed course, announcing yesterday that it would do away with its plastic foam "clamshell" hamburger box and switch to paper packaging."
- ^ a b Anthony Ramírez (1991-03-19). "Fast Food Lightens Up But Sales Are Often Thin". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=health&res=9D0CE7DD1430F93AA25750C0A967958260. Retrieved 2007-10-06. "For the McLean Deluxe, McDonald's uses carrageenan, a seaweed extract, to bind water to lean beef to moisten what would otherwise be a dry patty."
- ^ Wally Bach (2003-03-17). "McDonald's: When the Passion is Gone, the Profits are Over". MondayMemo.com. http://www.mondaymemo.net/030317feature.htm. Retrieved 2007-10-06.
- ^ "Burger King Taking on Big Mac". Meat Industry News Service. 1997-08-28. http://www.spcnetwork.com/mii/1997/970871.HTM. Retrieved 2008-05-26. ""In fact, it's even been dubbed as a potential 'Whopper Stopper'," restaurant consultant Dennis Lombardi of Technomic said of McDonald's "Big 'n Tasty," which is being tested in California."
- ^ "McDonald's Is Testing Another Big Burger". the New York Times. 1997-12-29. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9404E7D61731F93AA15751C1A961958260&scp=1&sq=McDonald%27s+Big+Xtra&st=nyt. Retrieved 2008-05-29. "The company introduced the Big Xtra, a 4.5-ounce beef patty on a large sesame-seed bun, Friday in southeastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey, and Kent and New Castle counties of Delaware."
- ^ Arthur Lubow (1998-04-19). "Steal This Burger". the New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C00E1D9113DF93AA25757C0A96E958260&scp=2&sq=McDonald%27s+Big+Xtra&st=nyt. Retrieved 2008-05-29. "At the end of last year, McDonald's began regional tests of a new lettuce-and-tomato burger, the McDonald's Big Xtra or MBX."
- ^ The Gale Group (2000-10-23). "McD's to test 'Diner,' kiosk; Big Xtra being axed". Nation's Restaurant News. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3190/is_43_34/ai_66709516. Retrieved 2008-05-26. "...the chain said it would replace the Big Xtra burger nationwide in January with a faster-selling quarter-pound burger called Big N' Tasty, now sold at more than 2,000 units."
- ^ Matt Bartosik (2010-07-02). "Big N' Tasty Is Down N' Out". NBC Chicago. http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/business/Big-N-Tasty-Is-Down-N-Out-97648979.html. Retrieved 2011-10-17. "The Oak Brook-based chain has announced to its franchisees that it will be taking the Mac Snack Wrap and Big N' Tasty off its menus by the end of the year, according to a company memo obtained by Crain's Chicago Business."
- ^ "Jason Alexander sings and dances for the McDLT". http://commercialheaven.com/2007/05/03/jason-alexander-sings-and-dances-for-the-mcdlt/. Retrieved 2011-06-23.
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- Annual revenue US$24.075 billion (2010)
- Employees 400,000 (2010)
- Stock symbol NYSE: MCD
- Website mcdonalds.com
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