Since its creation in 1967, McDonald’s Big Mac has been the cornerstone of their sandwich offerings. South Florida will be among the first to experience these new McDonald’s Big Mac offerings before their nationwide launch in early 2017.
Within the Big Mac lineup, the Mac Jr. presents a single-layered option featuring a larger beef patty, excluding the additional middle bun. The Grand Mac, on the other hand, boasts two beef patties larger than the classic sandwich, totaling a third of a pound of meat.
Both burgers come with lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, and the world-renowned special sauce, while their seeded buns are freshly baked at Turano Bakery in Orlando.
Although these two sandwiches are set to debut nationwide in early 2017, they will first launch in Florida, parts of Georgia, and Pittsburgh on November 14, 2016.
The larger variant, the Grand Mac, features two sixth-pound patties, while the classic Big Mac contains two tenth-pound (or 1.6-ounce) patties. Meanwhile, the Mac Jr., a new smaller iteration, comprises a single sixth-pound (2.67 ounces) patty but omits the iconic middle bun.
Preliminary tests of these new burgers in Dallas and Ohio beforehand due to their reputation as “beef-centric” areas, according to McDonald’s chef Mike Haracz. McDonald’s corporate chef Mike Haracz collaborated with a team of chefs and McDonald’s owner-operators to create the new menu additions.
“It depends on the product we’re doing. If we’re doing a fried chicken project, people down South are more passionate. We did a lot of work, and you guys in Miami are very passionate about what you like and dislike. Florida is upfront and honest.”
Chef Haracz on why South Florida was chosen for the debut
The Mac family will be available at all South Florida McDonald’s locations starting Monday, November 14, 2016. Additionally, a Big Mac food truck will traverse Miami at the end of November and early December.
A kickoff event at the Burger Beast Museum is scheduled for a grand opening friends-and-family night on Thursday, December 1.
Big Mac Sauce Bottles
To celebrate the launch of the Grand Mac and Mac Jr., McDonald’s gave out 10,000 Big Mac Sauce Bottles nationally. McDonald’s gave me 10 of the Big Mac Special Sauce bottles to giveaway at the Burger Museum by Burger Beast.
One hundred of these bad boys were given away at the McDonald’s (1148 South Dixie Highway) across from the University of Miami, and another 75 were given out in Palm Beach at the McDonald’s at 3805 Northlake Blvd.