McDonald's new premium angus burger

http://www.examiner.com/x-3264-Baltimore-Restaurant-Examiner~y2009m7d24-McDonalds-new-preium-angus-burger

McDonald's new premium angus burger
July 24, 2009

McDonald's is now selling its premium Angus Burger at stores nationwide, hoping that consumers will feel good enough to spend $4 for the sandwich at a chain known for value.

The new burger features a third-pound burger patty on a higher-end bun, and comes in three varieties: deluxe with pickles and tomatoes; bacon and cheddar; and mushroom and swiss. The sandwich will be for sale at most U.S. stores for the next several months before the chain re-evaluates whether to make it a permanent item.

They hope people will find it a good deal compared with offerings found at full-service restaurants and up-and-coming fast-casual burger chains like Five Guys Burgers and Fries.

“We’re constantly aiming to bring tasty, new menu choices to our Baltimore customers,” said Brian DeKowzan, Director of Marketing for the Baltimore Washington Region of McDonald’s USA. “With the introduction of the Angus Third Pounder, our customers are getting a premium Angus burger experience, with the everyday value, quality and convenience they've come to expect from McDonald’s.”

McDonald's to expand Angus burger test

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070514/bs_nm/mcdonalds_king_dc

McDonald's to expand Angus burger test
By Nichola Groom
5-14-7

McDonald's Corp. plans to expand a test of premium Angus beef burgers this summer to some restaurants in the Northeastern United States, an executive said on Monday.

Karen King, who oversees McDonald's 5,200 restaurants from Key West, Florida to the Canadian border, said the company was "encouraged" by sales of the fancier Angus burgers in Southern California, where they have been test marketed since last year.

"We're going to be testing Angus burgers later this summer in one of the Northeast markets," King, McDonald's East Division president, said in an interview. "With all test products we want to get a sense of different geographies and demographics so we're going to take it around the block here in the East."

King declined to say which market would be getting the fancier burgers, and spokeswoman Danya Proud said a final decision had not yet been made.

The burgers are seen as a key way McDonald's is working to compete with rivals Burger King Holdings Inc. and Hardee's and Carl's Jr. parent CKE Restaurants Inc., both of which have been selling bigger, premium burgers for several years.

Expansion of the Angus burger test comes as McDonald's works to extend the success of a three-year-old turnaround that has revitalized sales at the world's largest restaurant chain. King, a 32-year McDonald's veteran, said new drinks like iced coffee and tea and new chicken and breakfast products would be key to sustaining the company's momentum.

King oversaw the introduction of iced coffee to McDonald's restaurants in New England and said she was optimistic about its addition to restaurants throughout the United States.

"It was a gap in our menu, and we've been tremendously surprised by the product," King said.

In addition to her regular job, King has also taken on a new responsibility -- convincing McDonald's restaurant employees and customers that a job at the restaurant chain offers opportunities for development and growth.

King, who started working at a McDonald's restaurant in Georgia in 1975, is appearing in a television commercial as part of a new campaign to emphasize career opportunities at the chain. It is the first time McDonald's has featured an executive in its advertising.

"We want to tell people externally that this is a great career no matter what your goals, and we're also talking to our current employees," King said.

The campaign is McDonald's latest effort to change the image of its restaurant jobs as low-paying and dead-end. In recent years, the company has improved pay and benefits for restaurant workers and has taken other measures to emphasize the opportunities a McDonald's job can offer.

As for King, who has overseen the East Division for two years, she said she is in no rush to move on to her next McDonald's job. Once that does happen, however, she said she might pursue an international opportunity as she has not yet had any experience outside the United States.

Her predecessor as head of the East Division is Tim Fenton, who now serves as president of McDonald's Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa business.