McDonald’s battles upscale competitors with Third Pound Burgers

This week, I reached out for a new Sirloin Third Pound Burger at America’s top patty pusher, McDonald’s, with 14,000 restaurants stretching our limits.

When it comes to McDonald’s and its new strategy to combat upscale competitors like Smashburger, Five Guys and Chipotle … what’s new is old again.

In 2009, McDonald’s introduced a bigger, higher-priced, ritzy Third Pound Angus Burger. It flopped at $4.49 and was dropped in 2013. McDonald’s said it wanted to concentrate on keeping its lower-priced Quarter Pounders moving and improving.

Now McDonald’s is back with the Sirloin Third Pound Burger that sells for $4.99. Stop me when any of this makes sense.

There are three Third Pounders:

Bacon & Cheese with white Cheddar, mustard, bacon, pickles, ketchup and “beef seasoning.”

Lettuce & Tomato with leaf lettuce, tomato, red onion, white Cheddar, pickles, mayo, mustard and “beef seasoning.”

Steakhouse with sautéed onion, white Cheddar, grilled onions, peppercorn sauce and “beef seasoning.”

I have no idea, and not sure I want to know, what “beef seasoning” is. I do know this, I’ve eaten many hamburgers without “beef seasoning” at McDonald’s and never thought, “You know what this burger needs …?”

McDonald’s hasn’t released the Sirloin Third Pound nutritional numbers at this writing, but the Third Pound Angus Burgers tipped the scales at 750 calories and 39 fat grams. The nutrition numbers should be similar, perhaps a slight drop in fat grams.

These bigger burgers are part of McDonald’s scheme to up its game, to offer higher-quality products to a public that’s hipper and more demanding. McDonald’s is tinkering with the idea of home delivery, too.

Gee, if only pizza places had thought of that … 60 years ago.

A few weeks ago, McDonald’s unveiled its Artisan Grilled Chicken Sandwich, packing a chicken breast with no artificial colors, preservatives or flavors.

Here’s McDonald’s problem. After 60 years of selling “billions and billions” of cheapo burgers, McDonald’s wants to shake its lowprice image and convince customers that it’s the go-to place for elegant $5 burgers.

Burger King says “have it your way.” Now McDonald’s wants both ways — you can choose from its “Dollar Menu or More” or from its selection of Sirloin Third Pound Burgers.

Another problem, McDonald’s fries its burgers on a flat top grill, so all the burgers will have a similar greasy taste. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Some/many customers are grooved on greasy. Greasy has a lot of flavor. I thought the Sirloin Third Pound Burger didn’t taste that much different and didn’t seem that much bigger, than the standby Quarter Pounder. Customers will have to decide if the heftier weight and sirloin moniker are worth an extra buck.

Much of McDonald’s revamped focus on quality products is designed to combat sluggish sales and loss of market share to fast-food rivals and pricier quick service joints.

But don’t cry too much for McDonald’s. Yes, sales are down. Yes, competitors are making advances.

And, yes, McDonald’s has fallen … all the way to first place.

In today’s business world, sometimes first place isn’t good enough.