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In his interview with BurgerBusiness.com earlier this month, J.M. Owens, president of the Greater Atlanta McDonald’s Operators Association, said that one challenge keeping McDonald’s from offering breakfast all day is simply space limitation: There isn’t enough grill space in a standard McDonald’s kitchen to prepare two menus—breakfast and lunch/dinner—at once. In Rockford, Ill., northwest of [...]

McDonald’s is testing lower pricing for its Mighty Wings bone-in chicken wings and not just consumer interest in its test of the item in Chicago. The wings test that began last July in Atlanta moved to Chicago this week with a tweak in pricing. According to a GrubGrade report last summer, in Atlanta the wings [...]

Last month, McDonald’s CEO Don Thompson responded to a disappointing earnings report by promising to make “tactical adjustments” to build customer traffic. The test of the Egg White Delight McMuffin reported here last week was one example. Now more are coming clear. ◙  In Northern California, McDonald’s is trying a trio of jazzed up Quarter [...]

Seeking to remake its floundering Mimi’s Café chain, parent Bob Evans Farms is testing a new prototype that is simultaneously French and American, upscale and budget-friendly. And there are burgers. The chain’s Valencia, Calif., location is the first of three Mimi’s to receive a brand makeover (ostentatiously dubbed by the company the “French Revolution“) that [...]

[Updated with McDonald's Corp. comment] With quick-service restaurant competition heavily dependent on the buzz and interest generated by new products, both McDonald’s and Burger King are auditioning new limited-time menu stars. Getting a tryout at McDonald’s is a three-item line of McWraps, while Burger King is looking at a new value-priced item, the $1 BK [...]

McDonald’s is taking aim at quick-service restaurants’ last unconquered frontier: late night sales. And it is doing so by treating the time from midnight to 5 a.m. as an early-breakfast opportunity rather than a late-dinner or snack period. In 127 24-hour central Ohio locations, the chain has launched a Breakfast After Midnight program, offering such [...]

The “mini” trend seemed to have played itself out last year when BK Burger Minis came and went at Burger King, but the increasing popularity of snack items—especially chicken snack foods such as Chicken McBites—is making small big time again. Apparently not satisfied with the success of the McBites, McDonald’s is again testing the popularity [...]

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 [...]

Itself the target of a territory invasion by Pizza Hut’s P’Zolo, Subway is breaking down restaurant category barriers, too, with its take on burgers. A three-item line of Angus Melt sandwiches is being offered this month in 1,236 Subway restaurants in Atlanta, Detroit, Nashville and Macon and Northeast Georgia. The line includes Classic Angus Melt, [...]

McDonald’s is testing a new, toppings-heavy version of its third-pound Angus burger in San Diego. The test of the Clubhouse Angus was disclosed today by McDonald’s executives in a Manhattan meeting with Wall Street analysts and was reported first by Mark Kalinowski, restaurant analyst with Janney Montgomery Scott. Actually, the burger in test isn’t really [...]

That was fast. On May 4, BurgerBusiness.com reported that McDonald’s had filed a federal trademark application for the name “McCruncher.” Apparently the name is just too good not to use. In selected markets including several in Alabama, McDonald’s has begun testing a—you guessed it—McCruncher cheeseburger. Two things are interesting about it. One is that it [...]

Crispy is all well and good, but if you’re serious about biting into something with louder, more assertive texture as well as flavor, you want crunch. And restaurants are providing it, judging by increasing use of “crunchy” as a menu descriptor. We’re cuckoo for crunchiness. Steak ’n Shake this week added the Jalapeňo Crunch, a [...]

Welcome to the post-Lent springtime menu derby where chains push to get ready for summer. Burger King made a splash with its April 1 menu overhaul, but new-item test marketing remains in high gear. Last summer, McDonald’s tested a Zesty BBQ Cruncher sandwich with peppered bacon, barbecue sauce and crispy onions. Diners could choose either [...]

Accelerating the reworking of its menu, Burger King is looking at all aspects and dayparts for revision. That includes creating new entrée salads, a category in which it hasn’t been active for several years. Three new Garden Fresh Salads are being offered in selected markets at premium prices (though prices vary among markets). They include [...]

Burger King Holdings announced positive sales everywhere but the U.S. and Canada despite the introductions of new burgers and new advertising. Burger King reported a Q4 profit of $29.4 million, compared with a $93.9 million loss a year ago. Revenue declined 0.7% to $580.6 million. Systemwide same-store sales were +1.2% thanks to significant gains in [...]