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The chain that two years ago dared you to unfriend 10 people on Facebook in exchange for a free Whopper is once again using social media to find out what people will do in exchange for free food or prizes. The time the question is “What would you give?” and it’s being asked in Australia. No lockout slowed the [...]

[7/27 Update: Watch this UK spot featuring giant Happy Meal boxes and a Dave Clark Five soundtrack.] McDonald’s Corp. today announced a new commitment to improving the healthfulness of its Happy Meals just weeks after declining to join Burger King and other chains in the National Restaurant Association’s similarly targeted Kids LiveWell program.  McDonald’s USA [...]

Hardee’s knows how to keep busy. The burger chain this week revived its My Coke Rewards loyalty program and it’s riding the popularity of its new Hand-Breaded Chicken Fillet sandwich and the clever robot commercials backing it. Additionally, the chain’s parent company, CKE Inc., is celebrating its founding 70 years ago.  But that still leaves [...]

A month after Jack in the Box dropped Mini Sirloin Burgers from its menu, seemingly signaling the passing of the mini-burger fad, Burger King has brought back the tiny treats that began the trend. Now if only BK could decide on a name for them.  First introduced in 1987 as Burger Bundles, they resurfaced in 1990 as [...]

Given a still-lemon-sour economy, McDonald’s Corp. made lemonade. And it made billions from it. The chain reported that its global comparable sales increase a stunning 5.6% during the second quarter, ended June 30, 2011. U.S. sales lagged at +4.5% but jumped a robust 6.9% in June. For the quarter, Europe was up 5.9% and APMEA (Asia/Pacific, [...]

McDonald’s Corp. announced plans to build the largest restaurant in its system as part of its role as official restaurant of the 2012 Olympic Games in London. The 9,843-square-foot (3,000-square-meter), two-story unit will have a kitchen four times standard size to accommodate the crowds. The chain says it expects to serve 1.75 million meals during [...]

McDonald’s continues to experiment with its ingredient pantry, mixing and matching patties, proteins and buns to create new sandwiches. Its latest idea, now in test, is the Zesty BBQ Crunch, a premium sandwich with a twist: it’s available as either an Angus or chicken burger.  The Zesty BBQ Crunch calls in peppered bacon, barbecue sauce [...]

This weekend is the perfect time to pause and recognize the menu détente that has been reached between burgers and their old rivals, hot dogs. No longer half of an either/or relationship like mustard and ketchup or cowboys and aliens, hot dogs have settled into a happy sidekick role on many burger-joint menus. What makes [...]

As with gas, U.S. food prices are high unless you look at what the rest of the world pays. In Israel, McDonald’s has introduced two “Big America” half-pound-plus steak burgers priced at $9.25 (31.50 Israeli New Shekels), according to YnetNews.com. Want fries and a drink? The combo meal is $14.66 (49.90 Israeli New Shekels).  Ynet [...]

I don’t do burger reviews. But when BurgerBusiness.com’s report of McDonald’s English Pub Burger test makes news in The Independent in England—under the headline, “McDonald’s testing ‘gobsmacking’ British-style burger”—and beyond, I can make an exception.  My larger interesting driving to Algonquin, Ill., where it’s testing, was to see the Pub Burger packaging, which could tip [...]

According to online restaurant site Metromix, these 22 burger joints are rated the highest by its readers. Check the Metromix slideshow or view the winners’ menus individually below. No, this doesn’t square with my list of faves either, but burgers are an art, not a science. Eat on. ►B Spot, Woodmere, Ohio  ►Barnacle Bill’s, Rumson, N.J. ►Bianco’s Big League [...]

Continuing the globalization of its menu, McDonald’s is testing a sandwich it is marketing as an English Pub Burger. On the menu in Algonquin, Ill., the burger was first reported by the blog Within the Empier (source of the trayliner at right).  Essentially, the English Pub Burger is a tarted up Angus Third Pounder burger, [...]

The Ruby’s Diner chain continues its “Endless Summer” promotion this month with the addition of a Premium Baja Turkey Burger, the latest in a series of turkey burgers strutting onto American menus. The most visible was the three-item line of Charbroiled Turkey burgers that Hardee’s tested in December 2010 and then rolled out systemwide in March [...]