Introducing the Signature Collection from McDonald's

Today McDonald’s announced a pilot for a new range of burgers, designed to offer something entirely new to customers in the UK. The Signature Collection launches in 28 restaurants and was created by McDonald’s team of food specialists and their prestigious Chefs Council. The council is a team of chefs with a wide range of experience from Michelin starred restaurants to cooking for international royalty. This range of premium burgers features a thicker beef patty made from 100% British & Irish beef and available in three great flavours - The Classic, The BBQ and The Spicy each served in a brioche-style bun.

Headed up by Duncan Cruttenden, Food Development Director at McDonald’s UK, this team of experts used customer insight to create a new range of mouth-watering premium burgers. Three key areas arose from the research which explored the customer’s expectations from a premium burger at McDonald’s – a thicker beef burger, high quality ingredients and freshly prepared. McDonald’s Food Development team then worked alongside the Chef’s Council to create the new range which aims to deliver on all these areas.

Duncan Cruttenden Food Development Director at McDonald’s comments; "At McDonald’s we are committed to listening to our customers and evolving our menu to offer something for everyone. When the Chefs Council started to develop this new premium offering, we worked with a brief generated by our customers – they told us they wanted thicker beef patties, high quality ingredients and freshly prepared. We’ve crafted a range that is a truly exciting permanent addition to our menu - every product has to earn a place on our menu and our customers have told us the Signature Collection has done just that."

The Signature Collection is served in new stylish black packaging, with fries served in matching fry cartons with every Signature order.

The collection includes:

The Classic: 100% British and Irish beef patty, two rashers of Beechwood smoked bacon, a slice of natural cheddar cheese, wholegrain mustard mayo, ketchup, Batavia lettuce and red onion in a Brioche-style bun

The BBQ: 100% British and Irish beef patty, smoky BBQ sauce, coleslaw, red onion, Batavia lettuce, Beechwood smoked bacon and a slice of natural cheddar cheese in a Brioche-style bun

The Spicy: 100% British and Irish beef patty, Jalapeño slices, Pepper Jack cheese, Batavia lettuce, mayo and a spicy relish in a Brioche-style bun

As part of the ongoing restaurant transformation programme, McDonald’s has introduced new lay-outs and increased technology to the kitchens, meaning all iconic menu items will be made specially to order for customers. Due to the thicker patty the new burger takes a little longer to cook than other burgers on the menu which means at quieter times there could be a short wait for a Signature Collection burger, but it’s worth waiting for.

The trial is taking place in 28 restaurants in London and the South, and is set to roll out across the country next summer when the Signature Collection will become a permanent item on the menu in around 400 restaurants already refurbished as part of the ongoing ‘Experience of the Future’ transformation programme. This is just one of the major developments introduced to enhance the McDonald’s menu and service experience in the UK.

As McDonald’s constantly strives to bring more innovation to customers in the UK; the future could see even more exciting features introduced if current trials prove successful, with options to trial other flavours once the lessons have been learnt from this pilot. These include the possibility to customise the classic burgers that customers know and love, as well as ordering and paying by smartphone. Customers in some restaurants will also be able to enjoy interactive table-top games whilst they share a meal and even charge their smartphones using wireless charging devices.

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