Even as McDonald’s competitors shifted toward higher-quality, fresher ingredients, the Golden Arches has largely stood by its frozen meat pucks. However, the company may finally be on the verge of a big change, adding hundreds of locations to its previously small-scale test of fresh beef patties.
As previously reported, McDonald’s has been testing the non-frozen patties in just 14 stores in the Dallas area and 75 eateries in parts of Oklahoma.
Now Business Insider says that this test has been expanded to include 328 restaurants in the North Texas region.
“We view this latest expansion of never-frozen beef for quarter-pound beef patties as another signal as to the direction McDonald’s US is likely to head — more test markets/restaurants are likely to introduce never-frozen beef in coming months,” Instinet Analyst Mark Kalinowski wrote in a note to clients.
It won’t be easy to make the move to fresh beef: McDonald’s would have to drastically change its supply chain, BI points out, and some franchisees have already said that it could bring about new food-safety issues.
“I have major concerns over food safety and our lack of ability to serve a large number of customers quickly,” one franchisee wrote in response to a survey by Kalinowski in July.
Others see it as a good thing for the company and business in general.
“Many customers perceive unfrozen to be better for you. Perception is everything,” a franchisee wrote.
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