Why McDonald's switched to fresh beef | Risk Takers

Описание: If you've eaten a McDonald's Quarter Pounder recently, you may have noticed that it tastes better than it used to.

That's because in spring 2018, McDonald's swapped out frozen beef for fresh beef in most of its quarter-pound burgers in the United States — and the improved product has been a hit. Sales of the burger have soared since the change. In the first three months of 2019, McDonald's sold 40 million more quarter-pound burgers in the United States than it did in the same period the year before, when it was still mostly using frozen beef. McDonald's reported in June 2019 that the change also helped its burgers gain US market share in what the industry calls the "informal eating out" category for the first time in five years.

It may seem like a simple, obvious decision: Fresh beef gets hotter faster and tastes juicier, delivering a more appetizing burger. Through consumer insights, McDonald's knew that their customers would respond well to the upgrade. And the improved burgers could help McDonald's better compete with its rivals. Chains like Five Guys and Shake Shack have gained traction, raising the bar for mainstream outlets. And the success of fast casual joints like Chipotle and Panera has pushed larger chains to switch to fresher ingredients.

But it took about three years to make the change, and Marion Gross, chief supply chain officer for McDonald's in North America, initially balked at the idea.

Read more about McDonald’s switch to frozen beef: https://cnn.it/2Qfnnqh

Producers: Richa Naik, Bryce Urbany, Deborah Brunswick

CNN Business' Risk Takers is a series hosted by Rachel Crane about the leaders making the biggest bets designed to push global business into the future. https://cnn.it/2QguYFc

#CNN
#FastFood
#McDonalds

CNN Business brings you the latest business news about the world's top companies and the global markets, finance, tech, and the innovations driving us forward.

Interested in more of CNN Business? Subscribe to our channel!: https://tinyurl.com/qlsvmdy

More of CNN Business
Facebook: https://bit.ly/2HZvzX0
Twitter: https://bit.ly/2uByq5F
Instagram: https://bit.ly/2PKtpPF