"Big Arch" Burger from McDonaldsPhoto byDexerto on X

UNITED STATES — McDonald's has introduced a new burger, the "Big Arch," poised to become its first major global addition since Chicken McNuggets joined the core menu in 1983 and the recent addition of Chicken McCrispy.

What is The "Big Arch"?

Three slices of white cheese, crispy onions, slivered onions, pickles, lettuce, and our new, delicious Big Arch sauce... and more.

The Big Arch, weighing in at 14 ounces and packing 1,025 calories, aims to capture the essence of the iconic Big Mac with a twist, featuring two beef patties, melted cheese, crispy toppings, and a tangy McDonald's sauce.

“This is a quintessential McDonald’s burger with a twist on our iconic, familiar flavors,” McDonald’s President and CEO Chris Kempczinski said during a call with Wall Street analysts on Monday.

Currently, the Big Arch is available only in Portugal and Canada, with plans to launch in Germany by late August. This move comes as McDonald’s reports a dip in global sales for the first time since 2020, prompting the company to reassess its strategy in response to shrinking market share and increased competition.

“Consumers still recognize us as the value leader versus our key competitors, but it's clear that our value leadership gap has recently shrunk,” Kempczinski said. “We are working to fix that with pace.”

The term "pace" emphasizes the urgency with which McDonald’s intends to address these challenges. The fast-food giant previously noted that rising inflation has driven customers to seek more value and lower prices, often turning to competitors like Burger King and Domino's.

“The stakes are huge as competition heats up over the trillion-dollar global fast food market,” CFO Ian Borden remarked in April. “It’s a street fight. Everybody is fighting for fewer consumers. We have to make sure we have that street fighting capability.”

McDonald’s annual burger sales reach 2.5 billion globally, or 75 burgers per second, and the company is eager to expand its market share further. However, the introduction of the Big Arch is not without its risks, reminiscent of the failed Arch Deluxe in 1996, which flopped despite a $300 million marketing campaign.

The company has not yet provided details on when the Big Arch will be available in the United States, but a global rollout in over 100 countries and nearly 42,000 stores is anticipated.

“In the past, you would have seen us try and get after that opportunity in 20 different markets in 20 different ways,” Borden said in March. “And then you don’t have the ability to build a global equity that you can drive at scale.”

As McDonald’s prepares to launch the Big Arch, the fast-food chain is also extending its budget-friendly $5 meal offer in most U.S. locations through August, initially launched on June 25.

The global fast-food market remains fiercely competitive, and McDonald's hopes that the Big Arch will help reinforce its position as a market leader and attract customers looking for value amid economic pressures.