When you buy something through one of the links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
For decades, the McDonald’s Quarter Pounder has held its ground as a fast-food classic. But recently, murmurs of the Quarter Pounder shrinking have surfaced, leaving many customers feeling like they’re getting less bang for their buck. To address these concerns, former McDonald’s corporate chef, Mike Haracz, shed light on the situation.
Shrinking Perceptions or Shrinking Reality?
The former McDonald’s chef is a content creator on TikTok where he dishes out his “expertise” on all things McDonald’s-related among other topics. One of his latest videos took the task of explaining how new cooking techniques could lead one to think that the Quarter Pounder may have shrunk in size,
“So there’s like four main things that they could do to make it more affordable with the loophole of it needs to be a quarter pound before cooking. But when you cook it, more of that fat is released and you might have a smaller looking patty.”
Haracz acknowledges the customer perception but clarifies that McDonald’s hasn’t officially reduced the patty size. “The official weight specification for a cooked Quarter Pounder patty remains 4.7 ounces. However, factors like cooking methods, fat content, and bun size can influence the final appearance.”
The Science Behind the Size
He explains that McDonald’s can subtly adjust certain aspects without altering the weight:
- Lean-to-fat ratio: Fattier beef shrinks less when cooked, potentially appearing larger, despite weighing the same.
- Cooking temperature: Higher temperatures can lead to increased shrinkage, affecting perceived size.
- Bun choice: Toasting techniques and bun size variations can create the illusion of a smaller patty.
Commenters on his video discussed how they believe the famous burger is smaller in size today, than it has been in the past. One person said: “It’s getting thinner and smaller. I’m not going to McDonalds anymore because the last time I got one, it was dry and thin. Burger King, here I come.”
Haracz also weighed on a similar topic in a different TikTok video – the shrinking of the Filet-O-Fish. Reports have been coming in across social media about how the fish sandwich has drastically been reduced in size…to the point that the FoF is now being called a “slider”.
Haracz seemed to agree in some aspects that the FoF may have reduced in size, saying that it seemed “thinner” and “tiny” overall, but then he contradicted himself by adding: “I don’t think it’s as small as that one video leads. It looked like somebody maybe fabricated it, cut down the Filet-O-Fish, got a different kind of bun, or that person’s hand is gigantic “
There are two sides to this coin, McDonald’s, and a former chef that maintain nothing is shrinking…and then the customer’s who have become increasingly vocal about blatant shrinkage at the chain. So, who’s telling the truth? Our money is on the opposite of the corporation with something to lose…what are your thoughts?
