"McRipoff! Ex-Chef Exposes Most Overpriced McDonald's Item" - "Big Mac Attack on Your Wallet: Quarter Pounder Gives More Bang for Your Buck!

1. "McRipoff! Ex-Chef Exposes Most Overpriced McDonald's Item" - "Big Mac Attack on Your Wallet: Quarter Pounder Gives More Bang for Your Buck!"
2. "McDonald's Japan Flips for Flapjack Franken-Pie!" - Maple Butter Hotcake Mashup Leaves Taste Buds Confused and Amused"
3. "McBurrito Lockdown: No Substitutions Allowed!" - "Frozen Egg Mix Puts Breakfast Wrap Modifications on Ice"
4. "Mickey D's Feels the Squeeze as Customers Count Pennies" - Global Sales Slump as Value-Seeking Diners Ditch Golden Arches"
5. "Chili's Throws Down the Burger Gauntlet with Beefy 'Big Smasher'"  - "Half-Pound Patty and Tasty Toppings Aim to Dethrone Fast Food Royalty".

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Episode Transcript

(00:03):
Callaroga Shark Media. Welcome back tothe Weekly Mac, your source for all
things fast food. I'm your host, Mac Davies, and boy do we
have a super sized show for youtoday. Just a reminder before we start
that I'll be guest hosting five dailytrivia questions this Friday. The topic is
fast food. Joe Mitchell has Fridayoff so he can travel for the Travel

(00:26):
podcast, So check out five dailytrivia questions wherever you get your podcasts.
First up, a former McDonald's corporatechef is spilling the beans on what he
believes to be the most overpriced itemon the menu. Mike Harats, who
likes to share his opinion on thefast food giant's latest offerings, took to
TikTok to point out why ordering abig Mac meal can mean bad value for

(00:48):
the customer. Looking up prices forhis local McDonald's on Uber Eats, Harahz
noticed that a big Mac meal waspriced at a whopping twelve oh nine,
while a quarter pounder meal was amore reasonable eleven to twenty nine. You
get more meat on a quarter pounder, said Harats, explaining that the big
Mac only has one fifth of apound of beef, plus you get an
extra slice of cheese on the quarterpounder. The only downside one fewer slice

(01:12):
of bread and none of that famousBig Mac sauce. You're telling me that
is the most expensive part of thesandwich, Harahs quipped, But wait,
there's more. Haraz then noticed thata double cheeseburger meal was even cheaper than
both the Big Mac and quarter poundermeals, coming in at just ten seventy
nine in his area. You wantto pay extra for lettuce in Big Mac

(01:34):
sauce, asked the ex McDonald's employee. That actually absolutely blew my mind.
His final verdict, the Big Machas to be one of the most overpriced
sandwiches on the McDonald's menu. Speakingof McDonald's abroad, the chain just introduced
a maple butter hot cake pie inJapan that's causing quite a stir. Part
of the Kissa Mac series. Inspiredby Japanese retro coffee houses, this new

(01:57):
sweet treat is like a pan turnedinto a pie, adding a crunchy twist
to the usually soft and fluffy mouthfeel. One brave taste tester from Sore and
News twenty four described the pie asthicker and heavier than a regular apple pie,
but that's to be expected given thatthere are three types of filling inside
it, maple syrup sauce, saltedbutter sauce, and pancake batter hotcakes in

(02:22):
a handheld pie form only in Japan, folks, but back stateside, there's
one McDonald's breakfast item that's leaving customerswith little wiggle room, the sausage breakfast
burrito. Unfortunately, for those whomake frequent modifications to their food, this
menu item is not made fresh toorder. The burritos utilize a pre made

(02:43):
egg mixture that arrives frozen and mixedtogether with sausage pieces, green chilies,
and onions, making it pretty muchimpossible for employees to make serious modifications.
Former McDonald's corporate chef Mike correct confirmsthis in a TikTok video responding to a
concerned customer wondering why they can't requestsausage patties instead of the small pieces that

(03:05):
come in the mix. One TikTokereven shared a behind the scenes look at
how the burritos are crafted, showingthe thawed, pre made mix with a
slice of cheese being rolled into thetortilla and while employees could technically add ingredients.
Since they roll the burritos by hand. Chef might claims that most are
pre rolled early in the morning andsimply reheated in the microwave when ordered,

(03:25):
So if you're hoping for a veggieversion or a no onion's request, you
might be out of luck. Morein a moment. In other news,
McDonald's is feeling the pinch as budgetconscious consumers are getting pickier with their dining

(03:46):
dollars. The chain missed quarterly profitestimates for the first time in two years,
with global comparable sales growth sliding forthe fourth straight quarter to one point
nine percent. Analysts had estimated atwo point three to five percent rise.
McDonald's CEO Chris Kempchinsky, addressed theissue on a post earnings call, saying

(04:09):
consumer is certainly being very discriminating inhow they spend their dollar. I think
it's important to recognize that all incomecohorts are seeking value. He added,
we have seen that our relative superiorityon affordability has declined in some markets.
The chain's international licensees, which madeup ten percent of its overall revenue in

(04:30):
twenty twenty three, saw comparable salesdecline zero point two percent, offsetting positive
trends from Japan, Latin America,and Europe. Cfo Ian Borden had previously
warned of a sequential fall in internationalsales, pressured by the Middle East conflict
and a sluggish Chinese economy. Butfear not, fast food fans, Chili's

(04:51):
is swooping in with a burger combothat might just give Mickey D's a run
for its money. Today, thechain is introducing the Big Smasher, their
first burger innovation in three years that'spoised to go toe to toe with any
and all classic fast food burgers.The Big Smasher boasts twice as much beef
as a Big Mac, with anearly half pound hand smashed patty compared to

(05:13):
the Big Max pre cooked patty weightof three point two ounces. It's topped
with American cheese, Thousand Island dressing, diced red onions, lettuce, and
pickles, all on a hand butteredbun. But the best part, Chili's
is welcoming the Big Smasher to thethree for Me value menu for a limited
time, meaning you can get arestaurant quality burger, a basket of seasoned

(05:34):
fries, a bottomless chips and salsastarter and a soda all for ten ninety
nine. Now that's what I calla deal. Well that's all the fast
food scoop we've got for you thisweek. Tune in next time for more
juicy updates, and remember, inthe world of fast food, things are
always changing faster than you can saysupersize me. Until then, I'm Mac

(05:58):
Davies and this has been the weeklyMac. Stay hungry, my friends,