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McDonald’s new Premium McWrap is more than a new menu item, it is, in restaurant parlance, a new “platform,” meaning different varieties can be added. Part of its appeal is that almost anything can be rolled in a flour tortilla and added as a McWrap LTO without requiring major crew retraining. The first three varieties [...]

Proof that the rise of the burger bar has been a global phenomenon comes in the opening here of Burgerīm, an Israeli quick-service chain with 62 locations back home. Signage proclaims it “A Burger Revolution,” and while that might be a bit hyperbolic, at least Burgerīm is a bit different from the competition. Wedged into [...]

McDonald’s Corp. releases Q1 2013 sales results on Friday and the numbers aren’t expected to be pretty. Or positive. A 1.5% decrease in global comp sales for February after a 1.9% decline in January have fairly well sealed the deal on the quarter. There also are signals that consumer confidence and spending are still fragile [...]

Crusading British chef Jamie Oliver who has battled to improve food prepared and served in U.S. schools and has railed against fast-food chains is planning to open The Dog House & Diner in London, according to Britain’s The Independent and reported by Eater.com. The paper says the menu will feature hot dogs, burgers and ribs. [...]

German fast-food eaters are notoriously tough to please and McDonald’s admits business there has been sluggish. But now comes a possible solution in the form of McCurrywurst, an appealingly priced (€2.99 or $3.99) mix of pork bratwurst chunks in a spicy tomato sauce accompanied by shaker packs of either mild or sharp curry powder. Will [...]

The multiculturalism of McDonald’s introduction of McNoodles in Austria is just one example of the chain’s accelerated effort to bring global flavors and excitement to its menus across euro-crisis-depressed Europe. In July, McDonald’s CEO Don Thompson told analysts, “Europe’s Informal Eating Out industry is contracted as austerity measures continue to impact consumer purchasing power and [...]

How’s this for multiculturalism: McDonald’s this week will begin testing Asian noodle dishes in Austria. McNoodles were announced today on the McDonald’s Austria Facebook page. Reuters reports that the entrées include vegetables, chicken, salad and sweet-and-sour or curry sauce. When they join the menu on Sept. 20, McNoodles will be priced at €4.99 or about [...]

Burger King formally  announced its Italian-flavors Fall Menu on Labor Day, doing so quietly since the news already had appeared here last week. But while the Summer Menu’s Carolina and Texas Whoppers now are gone, there must have been leftover barbecue sauce, which the chain has kindly sent to Europe, where a BBQ party is [...]

McDonald’s is testing a PayPal-based mobile payments service at 30 restaurants in France, according to a report by Reuters. A McDonald’s spokesperson confirmed the tests to the news agency. The test allows McDonald’s customers to order food on their smartphones through a McDonald’s mobile application or online, with payment handled through PayPal. A dedicated counter [...]

As the London Olympic Games prepare to open, new research finds the UK’s restaurant scene surprisingly healthy. The latest QuickBite survey conducted for London-based researcher Horizons by YouGov finds the British are dining out more with the highest frequency since December 2010. The average British adult dined away from home 2.77 times on average during [...]

McDonald’s has “regrouped” its U.S. menu, gathering a variety of its lower-calorie—and often lower-price—items and branding this aggregation as a Favorites Under 400 Calories menu. To encourage customers to order these foods and beverages, some of the items carry instant-win game pieces for McDonald’s “Win When the U.S. Wins Gold” promotion, which begins tomorrow. Game [...]

Despite earlier promises that its London Olympics-sites menu would be the broadest it ever has assembled for the Games, athletes, press and spectators will find a menu that’s so narrow and safe as to be a bit of a gold-medal disappointment. There may be a 9,843-square-foot McDonald’s (its largest) at the Games, but the menu [...]

McDonald’s has promised that its menu at the London Olympics will be world-class and now, roughly two weeks before the Games begin, the offerings are coming clear. Two new LTOs joined McDonald’s UK menu this week and apparently will be among choices athletes and visitors at the chain’s four Olympic venue restaurants can enjoy. One [...]

McDonald’s could be excused if it chose to sit back and rest up for its big sponsorship role at next month’s London Olympics. Instead, the chain is sponsoring another big sporting event: the 2012 UEFA European Football Championship, known as Euro 2012. It starts tomorrow (June 8) with matches held through July 1 in Poland [...]

Starting today, parents who purchase Happy Meals at McDonald’s restaurants in the UK will have the option of a new proprietary sparkling drink called Fruitizz. A mix of 60% fruit juice (from apples, grapes and raspberries) and natural sparkling water, the beverage has no added sugars or artificial colors or flavors. Rather than be aseptically [...]