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McDonald’s will soon let you put bacon on a Big Mac

The company will start selling Big Macs, Quarter Pounders and fries with bacon later this month.
Photograph courtesy of McDonald's Corp.

Is there such a thing as too much bacon? McDonald’s and its customers are about to find out.

In the latest sign that the Chicago-based chain is OK messing with some of its legacy products, the company is set to let customers order Big Macs with bacon.

The Big Mac Bacon will be served as a limited-time offer starting Jan. 30, along with the Quarter Pounder Bacon and Cheesy Bacon Fries.

“People love bacon, and they love our iconic Big Mac, fresh beef Quarter Pounder burgers and world-famous fries, so we had to see what would happen if we combined all that tastiness,” Mike Haracz, McDonald’s manager of culinary innovation, said in a statement. “As a bacon enthusiast myself, I’m proud to say that we’ve done right by bacon fans.”

The bacon-infused menu items come as McDonald’s is working to build customer enthusiasm for its menu while it’s been emboldened lately to test different variations of its signature Big Mac.

For years, McDonald’s never messed with the sandwich, which franchisee Jim Delligatti invented in the late 1960s and that has come to be a singular representation of the quick-service restaurant industry.

But as the chain has worked to generate more sales, it has started looking at the Big Mac. In 2016, for instance, it introduced two new sizes of Big Mac, including a smaller Mac Jr. and a larger Grand Mac. It previously offered a Mac Snack Wrap that has since been discontinued. And in 2017, the company sold Big Macs with Sriracha. It has different variations of the sandwich in other countries, too.

The Big Mac Bacon will feature three pieces of bacon on the traditional sandwich, which features two patties, lettuce, cheese, pickles and Special Sauce on a two-tier, sesame-seed bun.

The Quarter Pounder Bacon will feature three pieces of bacon on a traditional Quarter Pounder made to order.

Cheesy Bacon Fries, meanwhile, will feature cheddar cheese sauce and smoked bacon bits atop the company’s traditional fries. Similar items have been sold in other countries, and McDonald’s in recent years has been offering different seasonings on its fries in a bid to generate menu interest for one of its most popular products.

McDonald’s has introduced a number of new menu items over the past year-plus, including fresh-beef Quarter Pounders, Buttermilk Crispy Tenders, Triple Breakfast Stacks and new espresso beverages.

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